The Legend of Dragoon: Two Worlds
by Anthony
Summary: After the destruction of The Moon That Never Sets the Dragoons are taken to an alternate reality of Endiness known as Earth. There they meet a young boy who is the key to their new adventure. From the creator of LOD: The Series & OVAs. Completed Chaps.!
1. A Hand of Fate

Anthony stood in front of the Orange County Convention Center, staring out into the dark and eerie sky.  It was a large complex where international meetings and conventions were held.

The moon, that only shined at night, now glimmered the most blood-red color one could ever imagine.  It descended from space, returning itself to what its alternate form was called: [The Moon That Never Sets].  It is the place where the _God of Destruction_ would be born.  The Virage Embryo.

Hundreds of people, all from the convention or just around the area, stood behind him.  They watched in awe and bewilderment at the event taking place around them.  It was an event that they knew nothing about; one they couldn't comprehend.  There was so much at stake that none of them could even realize.

Anthony reached into his right pocket, pulling out the holy and omnipotent stone.  It glowed a gentle, warm radiance.  "It's time," he told himself.  The _White Silver Dragoon Spirit_ levitated from the palms of his hands and stopped right in front of the center of his chest.  Rays of brilliant luminescence began to radiate.  Slowly they shined brighter.  

The crowd behind him awed and gasped at the magical phenomenon.  

Anthony turned his head back to glance at the poor, innocent bystanders.  "It's all right," he told them in a soft tone, "It'll be all right…"

Anthony spread out his arms, his _White Silver Dragoon Spirit_ radiating on the center of his chest.  A beam of white light shined down from the skies above him.  The clothes he wore upon his body vanished and dematerialized, revealing a white colored silhouette of his naked body.  He floated within the beam of light as white angel feathers swirled around him.  They all came together as one on his body, transforming him.  He was now the mighty White Silver Dragoon, wings spread and determined.

The light from the transformation ceased, as now the rest of the crowd could see the mighty [Dragon Warrior].

            "_There's no more time left…_" he thought to himself, "_No more waiting…This ends here._"

            He spread out his Dragoon wings even further outward and soared straight across the air into battle.

            Anthony stopped when he was high enough in the air, above the city.  He pulled out his potent silver bow and aimed an arrow made of white magic.  "Lloyd!!!" he shouted with the utmost intensity, "Show yourself to me!!"

            "Enough already," his voice spoke.  He appeared a few feet away from the _White Silver Dragoon_.  He still bore his immense dark-colored armor; the [Dragon Buster] in hand as well.  "Dear boy…you are the [Moon Child].  Give yourself in.  You're place is not among these humans.  It is conjoined with the embryo," Lloyd explained as he pulled back a lock of his platinum hair.

            "No!" Anthony replied, "My place is here on Earth!  With everyone I care about!"

            "And you think you can stop it alone?" Lloyd asked him with a smirk firmly planted upon his face.

            "I will, if I must…" Anthony replied determinedly.  

            "You won't have to!" a male voice shouted from afar.

            In the distance, six colored lights, representing fire, earth, water, wind, thunder, and darkness, approached the two feuding enemies.

            Anthony's face lit up with joy.  "Everyone!" he cried.

            "It seems the cavalry has arrived," Lloyd stated in a disappointed and annoyed tone.

            The _Red-Eye, Jade, Sea Wave, Violet Thunder, Golden, and Darkness Dragoons_ surrounded the evil Wingly, along with their companion.

            "Sorry, we're late," Dart apologized in a joking manner.

            "Are you all right Anthony?" Meru asked worriedly as she flew over to him.

            Anthony nodded with a smile, "I am now."

            "Lloyd, what you are trying to do is unforgivable!" Albert yelled loudly.

            "We won't let you convert this world into a world of death!" Haschel added.

"WE CREATE WORLD WHERE EVERYONE LIVE IN PEACE," Kongol told him.

"A world where hopes, dreams, and…" Rose began to say.  She turned and gave a warm smile to Anthony.  "…Light can shine through," she finished.

Anthony smiled back, "Yes, you're right."  

The seven Dragoons faced their opponent.  Each of them revealed their powerful weapons.

The Giganto, Kongol, with his potent axe.

The Martial Artist, Haschel, with his lightning quick fists.

The Royal King of Serdio, Albert, with his graceful staff.

The Lively Dancer, Meru, with her forceful hammer.

The Wisest Dragoon, Rose, with her unique rapier blade.

The Noble Hero, Dart, with his slashing sword.

And the Young Boy, brought into this adventure through a hand of fate, Anthony held his accurate and precise bow.

And so began the final battle between the Seven Legendary Dragoons and the Wingly who wished to destroy the world.

"However, there is more to this tale than meets the eye.  Why these people are where they are, why they're doing what they're doing, and why they're there with me…  This is my story.  No, this is our story."

The Legend of Dragoon

"Two Worlds"

An enormous blood-red colored sphere floated close to a barren desert in a world similar to our own.  It had gigantic craters in which creatures of immense size sprung froth and soared across the sky.  The sphere looked very much like a moon.  It glowed an eerie light.

Soon enough, explosions began to occur within its vicinity.  Something phenomenal was happening.  The end to a journey and the beginning of new one.

The explosions caused cracking of the moon's body.  Smoke and debris shot out from those cracks and crevices.

One large eruption of flames transpired, coming straight from within the core of this magical moon.  Out of the smoke and fire, six colored lights shot outward to safety.

They were six warriors covered in colored armor.

 Kongol, the _Golden Dragoon_, carried the small and petite _Sea Wave Dragoon_, Meru, in his arms as he flew away from the detonating moon.

The _Violet Thunder Dragoon_, Haschel, wasn't too far behind them.

Albert, the _Jade Dragoon_, followed soon after along with Rose, the _Darkness Dragoon_.

After a few more seconds, the final Dragoon escaped the crumbling sphere.  It was Dart, the _Red-Eye Dragoon_.  He followed his five heroic companions away from the destruction and the chaos.

Lights of all colors burst out from within the moon creating a magical orb around it.  Slowly, but surely, the orb made of magic diminished the moon until there was nothing there at all.  

The six heroes landed upon a nearby cliff overlooking the area where the moon had stood before.

They turned to face it.

"We did it…" Albert sighed in his royal and British-like voice.

"You destroyed [The Moon That Never Sets], Dart." Rose stated as she placed her hand on Dart's shoulder in comfort.

"No… 'We' all did," Dart corrected her.

"It isn't over though…is it?" Meru asked, already knowing the answer to her question.

"The White Silver Dragoon Spirit was still with Lloyd…" Haschel explained, "And that magical portal he created behind him…"

"ROSE KNOW WHAT IT IS?" Kongol asked her.

"It was a [Trans-Dimensional Portal].  He has gone to the alternate reality of our world, _Endiness_." she answered.

"He's going to try and repeat this whole situation over again," Albert added.

"Yes, it would be possible in an alternate world, wouldn't it?" Haschel wondered.

"What should we do?" Meru asked.

Dart turned around to face his comrades, "We have to find a way to go after him.  He has something very important to me.  Something that someone important to me gave up to save us all…"

Everyone's face saddened when he mentioned this person.  Whoever this person was, this person was loved by them all.

At that moment, the six Dragoon Spirits began to shimmer.

They all gasped in wonder.

"What is this?!" Meru shouted.

"Something's happening!" Albert yelled.

Their bodies began to vanish into thin air.

"BODIES DISAPPEARING!" Kongol added.

"Where are we going?!" Haschel asked.

"I don't know!!" Rose screamed.

"To wherever fate takes us!" Dart shouted.

Their entire bodies completely dematerialized.  They were gone.  

A young boy's eyes opened and then blinked twice.  "Uh…" he grunted.  He was lied across his bed, under his covers.  He got up into a sitting position and rubbed his eyes.

"What…was that?" he asked himself, "A dream?"

"_Anthony!  Hurry!  Or you'll be late for school!_" a motherly voice shouted from somewhere else in the house.

"Oh, that's right.  School…" the boy sighed in grief.  He leaped straight out of his bed and headed towards his closet.

"_Hi, my name's Anthony Reyes,_" the young boy introduces himself; as the main character.  He had short, light brown colored hair and large brown eyes.  "_I'm in my senior year at high school and I live here in Orlando, Florida,_" he continued.  He opened his closet and pulled out a pair of navy blue jeans and a gray sweater and put them on.

"_I like to write, draw…play tennis…Oh! And I can't forget that I love anime!_" he added on to his resume of characteristics.  He rushed over to his dresser and rapidly brushed his hair in front of his mirror.  He knelt down to pick up a black backpack as he was about to hurry out of his room.  Just before he was going to step out, he looked back towards his dresser.

A shimmering, silver orb lied on top of it.

He rushed back for it and placed it in his pocket as he ran out of his bedroom.

"I'm going!!!" Anthony shouted as he hurled out through the front door and began running for school.  He ran through the sidewalks and across the crosswalks leading to his school.  He knew he was definitely late because no other students were around.

He stopped running to take a breather and catch his breath.  He bent over and panted heavily.  "Alarm clock…!  I need…to get…an alarm clock!!" he told himself.  He stood back up straight and looked over to the side.  There was a playground with a park bench.  "Well, I'm already late so I might as well take a little break," he said to himself.

He sat upon the bench and looked towards the sky.  He let out a depressing sigh, "Everyday…it's the same thing.  Is this really a life that I'm leading?  It's more like a routine…The same pattern of things everyday.  Is this where my life is headed?  Isn't there anything that can change my fate?"

He glanced over to his watch and saw the time.  "Oh, I guess I'd better go then.  My teacher's going to kill me, but…" he said.  He stood up and began to walk away when a sudden flash of light appeared in the sky.

"Huh?!" Anthony gasped.  He turned around to face the origin of the light.  "What is this?!" he asked.

Out of the flash of light, six colored lights emerged and fell towards the earth in front of him.  

Anthony covered his face as those six lights created a massive after-blow, almost blowing Anthony right off his feet.

When it was all over, he uncovered his eyes to see six beings lying on the floor in front of him.

They were the six warriors, now out of their omnipotent armor.

"What is going on?!!" Anthony cried in astonishment.


	2. Kindred Spirits

The six warriors were asleep or unconscious upon the grass in this neighborhood park.  

Anthony stood over them in shock and bewilderment.  He had no idea what to make of any of this.  These six people just fell out of the sky.  He wanted to get a closer look, for his curiosity couldn't help it.

He slowly walked over to the fallen warriors.  "Who are these people…?" he asked himself, "Wait.  Not all of them are people…"

He noticed the size and build of the Giganto Kongol and the shimmering blue hair and soft silky skin of the Wingly Meru.

"Are they from outer space or something?" he continued to ask.

"Ugh…" Meru began to groan.  It seems she was awakening.

Anthony gasped, "Ah!"

"Wow…what a ride…" she said as she got up into a sitting position.  She rubbed her head and then her eyes.  She then noticed the young boy that stood above her.  "Ahh!!!" she screamed.

"Ahh!!!" Anthony joined in with her.

Meru leaped onto her feet, "Where am I?!"

"Y-You're here, in Orlando, Florida…" Anthony told her.

"Orlando, Florida?  What's that?  Sounds like food where I'm from," Meru replied.

"Where are you from?" Anthony asked.

"Well…I'm from a secret place on the world of _Endiness_," she answered.

"_Endiness_?" Anthony wondered.  He had never heard of something called that before.

"Enough about that," Meru said as she put out her hand, "My name's Meru!"

Anthony looked at her and saw her vibrant and cheerful smile.  "_She doesn't seem so bad,_" he thought to himself.  He put out his hand as they greeted one another.  "I'm Anthony," he said.

At that same moment, everyone else began to come to.  

"Oh!  Now you can meet my friends!" Meru told him.  She ran over to her friends.  "Wake up!  Wake up already!!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

"MERU TOO LOUD," Kongol spoke as he got up.

"What is with all the fuss Meru?" Haschel asked, getting up onto his feet.

Albert was already on his feet and looking around the new world he was in.  Houses of all different kinds were everywhere and he could hear the sounds of the cars passing by in the streets.  "Where are we?" he asked.

Dart was a gentleman and helped Rose onto her feet.  "This is definitely not _Endiness_," he stated.

"We traveled all across _Endiness_ in our journey and never saw a place like this," Rose added.

"Then…do you think we crossed dimensions or realities or whatever?!!" Meru asked her excitedly.

"It could possibly be that," Rose replied.

"A hand of fate…" Haschel sighed.

"Oh! I want you guys to meet my new friend!" Meru shouted emphatically.  She rushed over to Anthony's side to introduce him.  "Everyone!  This is Anthony!" she said.

"Hello, everyone," Anthony smiled.

"And these are my friends," Meru pointed, "You see this big guy over there?  That's Kongol.  And the old man is Haschel.  The really royal one is Albert.  The one that acts mysterious all the time over there, that's Rose.  And this is Dart."

"It's nice to meet you all," Anthony said to them.

"You are from this world?" Albert asked him.

"Y-Yes," he answered.  Anthony looked at these group of people and felt an instant connection.  It was like he had seen them somewhere before.

"Well, of course he is!  Look at his clothes!!" Meru pointed out.

"MERU," Kongol scolded her.

"What?!" she asked.

"What's wrong with my clothes?" Anthony asked, "See, in this world, what you're wearing Meru would be considered to be…"

Rose interrupted his sentence when she saw something in Anthony, "No way!"

"Huh? What is it Rose?" Dart asked, "Is something wrong?"

"In his pocket…" she said.

"My pocket?" Anthony wondered.  He reached in to pull out something.  "Oh, you mean this?" he asked.

He held a white and holy colored stone that began to shine brilliant rays of light.  "Whoa!  This never happened before!!" he shouted.

"It cannot be!!" Albert gasped.

"IS THAT…?" Kongol began.

"Is it possible?!" Meru wondered.

"The _White Silver Dragoon Spirit_!!" Dart shouted happily.

The stone stopped its shining light. 

"Wow, what was that?" Anthony asked.

"What you hold in your hand is a powerful stone that can give a chosen one the power to transform into a [Dragon Warrior], but more commonly known as the [Dragoon]." Rose explained.

"Wait a second…Dragoon…?" Anthony thought to himself.  The word seemed so familiar in his mind.  Instantly, he remembered where he had seen these people.  Flashes of the dream he had had this morning rushed through his mind one by one.  "That's it!" he exclaimed.

"What is it?" Haschel asked.

"I know where I've seen you all before!" Anthony shouted, "This morning, I had a dream about all of you!  You all were in this magical winged armor soaring away from a moon or something that was exploding behind you.  It was in some other world!!"

"You dreamt this?" Dart asked.

"This is no coincidence," Rose stated, "There is a reason why we all have met and why we are here."

"Where did you find that [Dragoon Spirit] Anthony?" Meru asked him.

"I found it in the grass on my way home from school a couple of days ago," Anthony replied, "I just thought it was a pretty stone."

"If that stone is here…" Albert began to say.

"LLOYD," Kongol said bluntly.

"He must be here," Rose agreed.

"What is this? What is going on?" Anthony asked, "I'm so confused and I don't understand anything that's going on."

"He's right.  We should explain everything to him," Dart said.

"Is there somewhere we can go and talk?" Rose asked him.

Anthony thought about it for a moment.  He needed a place where no one went and where his new friends could not be seen.  "Oh!  I know!" he shouted.

They had all returned towards his neighborhood and to the park behind his home.  There was a large conservation area surrounding the park.  A rugged path through the bushes where the trees had been made.  It led to what you used to be a sewage area.  But now, it was simply a desolated, abandoned area with a small stream in a ditch.

"In our world of Endiness, there was legendary war 11,000 years in the past.  [The Dragon Campaign]," Rose began to tell the tale.

Anthony sat upon the grass along with the other warriors.

"Creatures known as Winglies attempted to control the entire world and rule over all species.  It seemed it would be possible.  However, a miracle occurred.  Seven Dragons created seven [Dragoon Spirits] in order to fight against the Winglies.  Seven warriors were chosen to bear these magical stones and defend the world," Rose continued, "And they did.  They destroyed the leader of the Winglies, [Melbu Frahma], and saved the world."

"That's amazing…" Anthony sighed in astonishment, "But, Rose…how do you know so much about this?"

Rose hesitated for a moment, "…I was one of those seven warriors."

Anthony gasped.

"Using this choker…" she said as she pointed to it, "I've been able to live an immortal life throughout these 11,000 years.  For there was another legend that I would have to continually stop from occurring."

"Another legend?" Anthony asked.

"Yeah, the legend about [The Moon That Never Sets] and the [Moon Child]," Meru told him.

"When the Winglies were defeated, they left three Divine Moon Objects.  [The Moon Gem, The Moon Dagger, and The Moon Mirror]," Rose stated, "They held great magical power.  Their purpose was to help give birth to the _God of Destruction_.  The Virage Embryo.  This being's purpose was to destroy the world.  However, you need the [Moon Child] to merge with the embryo in order to create it."

"Who would want to do such a thing?" Anthony asked.

"EVIL WINGLY," Kongol said.

"Yes, Lloyd," Albert added.

"Lloyd…?  You all mentioned him in my dream," Anthony said.

"He had set out to destroy the world and give birth to one he could control," Dart explained.

"He acquired the three Divine Moon Objects.  That was half of the plan.  The next half was to acquire the [Moon Child]," Rose continued on.

"[Moon Child]?" Anthony wondered.

"The [Moon Child] is a being that, at birth, was given the power and the capability of merging with the embryo.  Thus, was God's hand of fate," Rose answered.

"Do you all know who the [Moon Child] is in your world?" Anthony inquired.

Everyone was silent.  Their faces saddened.  The mood had completely changed.

Meru bit her lip, trying to hold back her tears.

Everyone else looked away.  They couldn't bare to speak of this person.

Rose looked to Dart who's face could tell a thousand words of pain and loneliness.  "I believe…Dart should explain this…" Rose suggested.

Anthony was perplexed and confused.  But, he could almost put two and two together to realize why everyone was so sad.

"The[Moon Child] in our world was…the girl who held that _White Silver Dragoon Spirit_ you possess," Dart explained, "Her name…was Shana.  She and I were very close."

"I don't get it.  Why are you talking in the past tense?" Anthony asked.

Dart fought back the tears, "She is…She is…dead."

"Eh?!" Anthony gasped.

Meru couldn't hold back the tears any longer.  She buried her face into Kongol's chest as she wept.

Even Rose wiped a tears from her eye.

"I didn't want her to merge with the embryo and become the _God of Destruction_.  We all told her we'd fight for her until the bitter end…" Dart said, "She didn't want us to have die for her so…she stepped in front of Lloyd's blade…"

"Oh no…" Anthony sighed sadly.

Dart could only remember that final moment when Shana's life was taken away…

_Lloyd's blade struck straight into the White Silver Dragoon's chest._

_"Shana!!!!!!" Dart screamed with so much pain._

_Lloyd pulled out his blade as Shana fell to the floor, lifeless._

_"Damn you…!" Lloyd yelled, "In order to save your friends!!  You've ruined everything!"_

_"Shana!!!" Dart screamed once more.  He ran over to her and held her in his arms. "Shana…Why?!  Why did you do that?!" he cried._

_Shana gently opened her eyes, "Dart…I couldn't have…you all dying for me…"_

_"I already told you it was worth it, for you!" Dart shouted._

_"But…this way…everyone will be safe and live happily together…" Shana replied.  At that moment, her Dragoon armor vanished and the White Silver Dragoon Spirit floated into the air._

_Shana was beginning to vanish._

_"Shana!!  No!!" Dart sobbed.  Tears streamed down the side of his cheek.  "How can I live happily without you beside me?!" he cried._

_"Shana…" Meru sobbed along with the rest of her friends.  They all could only watch.  They couldn't breathe a word._

_"You can…Dart…Fight until the end.  Not for me…but for our world," Shana told him, "I will a-always be with you…"_

_Her body vanished even more._

_She placed the palm of her hand on his cheek as tears fell down her face.  "I am so glad…that you and I found each other…Dart…"_

_"So am I…Shana," Dart continued to cry._

_"I would rather die now…than live a thousand years without having met you," Shana said, "Without having ever kissed your lips…I love you Dart…"_

_"I love you Shana!  I will always love you!!" Dart shouted._

_They both began to lean into one another, their lips waiting to meet.  Right before they did, Shana's body completely disappeared in the form of shining white lights that flew into the sky._

_Dart couldn't believe it. "SHANA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he shouted with all the passion and fury in his body._

"That's how Lloyd was able to obtain the _White Silver Dragoon Spirit_," Rose spoke, "He then figured out that as long as he had that with him, something the [Moon Child] possessed, he could then become one with the embryo."

"That's when we came in," Haschel added, "We gathered our strength and headed towards [The Moon That Never Sets] and destroyed it at the core."

"That's what you saw in your dream," Albert stated.

"And that's why the _God of Destruction_ could never be born in our world," Meru finished.

"So, this Lloyd traveled to the alternate reality of your world in order to attempt to give birth to the _God of Destruction_ once again?" Anthony asked.

"Using the[Moon Child] of this world to do so," Rose answered, "However, it seems he lost the _White Silver Dragoon Spirit_ on his way through dimensions and it came to you."

"But I just found it on the floor," Anthony said.

"No.  The Spirit chose you.  You are now the _White Silver Dragoon_. It was fate," Rose told him.

"This is all so surreal," Anthony said.

"It is even more real than you imagine," Albert spoke.

"ANTHONY IN DANGER," Kongol said.

"What?" Anthony gasped.

"You are the new holder of the White Silver Dragoon Spirit now.  Lloyd is in this world somewhere.  He will come after you once he finds you," Meru said.

"That's why we're here.  To protect you," Haschel comforted him.

"We will find the [Moon Child] and put a stop to this before it can even get started," Dart added.

Anthony smiled, "Thank you."

Night had arrived over the entire city and over Anthony's neighborhood.  Lights could be seen from outside the windows of all of the houses.  Families together in their homes.

The front window of Anthony's home silently slid open.  A sheet that carried something within it was thrown out first.  Anthony followed.  He grabbed the sheet and ran off into the neighborhood, towards the park.

The six Dragoons stood and sat around the area where they had been talking before, in the park.  

"That Anthony is a nice young man, isn't he?" Haschel spoke.

"Yes, he is.  Not tough, not serious.  Very humble," Albert agreed.

"I really like him!" Meru smiled cheerfully, "He seems like a lot of fun!"

"KONGOL THINK SO TOO," Kongol nodded.

"I can't help but think…Shana had something to do with him being chosen as the_ White Silver Dragoon_," Dart smiled to himself.

"I think so as well," Rose agreed, "But, there is something that I have been thinking about since we found out he holds the _White Silver Dragoon Spirit_."

"What's that?" Dart wondered.

"I wonder if situations and occurrences that happened in our world apply to this world as well.  Almost as if history repeated itself.  The fact that he was chosen to possess the Dragoon Spirit of the White Silver Dragon just as Shana was…Could it be that they have more than just that in common?" Rose explained her feelings.

"You think he could be the…?" Dart began to ask.

Anthony interrupted when he leaped through the bushes.  "I've got food!!" he shouted.

"Great!  Let's eat!" Meru leaped with excitement, "I'm starving!"

Anthony laid out the sheet on the grass, revealing all kinds of food.

"Looks delicious," Haschel licked his lips.

"I hope it's enough," Anthony said.

"PLENTY," Kongol told him.

"Bone appetite everyone," Albert said.

They all sat and gathered around the food to eat their dinner.

"Anthony?" Dart began.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Where does that road lead to?" Dart asked him.  He pointed across a field and over to a busy street filled with cars coming and going.

"Oh?  That street?  It leads to the mall," Anthony answered.

"Mall?" Meru asked with food stuffed in her mouth.

"Oh…uh…What you would call a marketplace, I guess," Anthony explained to her.

"A marketplace?!" Meru exclaimed, jumping into the air.  She then began to choke on the food she had stuffed in her mouth.  She gasped for air.

"I imagine the marketplaces in this world are absolutely marvelous," Albert said.

"Do you think we could see it?" Haschel asked.

"Well…I suppose we could stop by for a little while…" Anthony replied, "My parents think I'm asleep anyway so…why not?"

Meru began to run around all of her friends while trying to ask for help.  Nobody was paying any attention to her though.

"Rose, do you think it would be okay?" Dart asked.

Rose looked at everyone.  She thought for a minute and then smiled, "Sure."

Meru continued to run around until she reached Kongol.  She stopped in front of him, praying to God he would help her.

With a serious look on his face, he simply patted her once with his huge palm on the back.

The food went down nicely as she swallowed.  She sighed in relief.

All of her friends, including Anthony, giggled and laughed.

They all arrived at the large and massive Florida Mall.  As soon as they stepped through the double doors, people in the mall stopped and stared at the strange looking individuals behind Anthony.

They started their night of fun, walking throughout the paths laughing and smiling.  Kongol was surrounded by people, however.  They couldn't get over how huge he was.  He was almost as tall as a house.

They soon arrived to the arcade.  Anthony pointed to it and told everyone to come in with him.

Anthony played a fighting game, while everyone but Haschel watched.  They all turned around suddenly when a yell was heard from behind them

Haschel was behind them playing another fighting game.  It read "Game Over" on the screen, indicating he lost.  He had a huge fit about losing in front of everyone.

The people inside the arcade stared, while sweat drops fell on Haschel's friend's heads in embarrassment.

Next, they arrived in a formal dress wear store.  Meru insisted that they all go in.

First, Meru leaped out of the dressing room dressed in a long, shiny blue prom-like dress.  She twirled around, showing it off.

Anthony and Haschel sat down on a bench and applauded.

Right after, Albert came out of the men's dressing room in a tuxedo.  He looked very handsome.

Anthony and Haschel applauded for him as well.

Rose was the next to come out.  She was dressed in a long, slender black dress that accented many of her features.  She looked radiant, but felt a little insecure.

Anthony and Haschel applauded her in support.  

Finally, Dart was the last to come out dressed up.  He was also dressed in a tuxedo with a red sash wrapped around his waist and stomach.  

Everyone else was already outside and clapped for him.  He did look very handsome.

He didn't seem to happy though.  He gazed off into the distance and saw a beautiful white gown.  He could see his true love, Shana, dressed in it with a smile.

Anthony saw his pain and walked over to him.  He put his hand on Dart's shoulder in comfort, with a gentle smile.

Dart smiled back in thanks.

Kongol stepped out of the dressing room, surprisingly enough.  He made loud thumping noises that made the whole store tremble.  When he came out, he was also dressed in a tuxedo.  However, it was a few sizes too small for his gigantic Giganto size.  His arms and legs ripped straight through the sleeves and his chest broke straight through the shirt.

His friends could only stare at him in disbelief.

Kongol shrugged in embarrassment.

"This has been so much fun!" Meru leaped for joy, "Your marketplaces are absolutely wonderful!"

"Yes, it was a very entertaining night," Albert added.

"Thank you for taking us," Haschel told Anthony.

"It was nice taking a night off from all of this chaos," Dart said.

"I'm glad you all had fun," Anthony smiled, "I did too.  I haven't had fun like this in a long time."

"WHAT ANTHONY DO FOR FUN?" Kongol asked.

"Well…" Anthony thought about it, "I used to write and draw a lot!!  I never thought I was that good at it though."

"Why are you speaking in the past tense?" Albert wondered.

"Because…I've realized…" Anthony began to say as he turned to them and gave a sad smile, "There's no place for me there…It just wasn't important to anyone."

Rose saw the sad look on his face and wanted to change the subject.  she looked across the path and noticed something interesting, "Oh? What is this?"

Anthony snapped out of his mood, "Oh!  That's a crane game."

There was a red crane game machine connected to the wall, filled with stuffed animals.

"Crane…game?" Rose asked.

"Yeah.  Watch," Anthony told her.  He reached into his pocket and pulled out some change.  He slipped them into the slot and took the joystick to move the crane.  He moved it forward and noticed a nice brown teddy bear.  He went for it.  He started to sweat nervously and anxiously.

"Does he have it?" Meru whispered.

"You've almost got it…" Haschel said.

Everything was silent for that one moment.

The crane grabbed the bear and began to pull up slowly.

"Come on, come on…" Anthony told himself.

When it seemed he had the bear, it slipped out of the crane hand's fingers.

"No!" Anthony pouted, "Ah, man!  I really wanted that bear!"

"May I try?" Rose asked him.

"Sure.  Go ahead," Anthony nodded.  He handed her some more change.

She slipped it into the slot and began to play.  Again, everything returned to silence for that short period of time she played the game.  She moved the crane over to where the brown teddy bear was.  She moved the hand of the crane down towards and opened the fingers, then grabbing the stuffed bear.  She ever so slowly pulled up when suddenly…She got it!

"YES!!!!!" Rose shouted happily, "I've done it!"

Her voice echoed throughout the entire mall, as all the visitors stopped to see who was yelling.

Sweat drops fell on all of her friend's heads. 

"Heheh…Good job, Rose…Heheh…" Anthony giggled embarrassedly. 

Rose coughed, trying to regain her composure, "Ahem…We all have our moments."  She reached into the hole where the teddy bear was and handed it to Anthony.

"For me?" he asked.

"So you don't forget us," she told him with a shy smile.

"Thank you!" Anthony replied cheerfully.

Dart smiled along with everyone else.

"_Anthony…I know you'll find what you're looking for…_" Rose thought to herself.  A chill then ran up her spine; a strange sensation.

"ROSE, SOMETHING WRONG?" Kongol asked.

"He's nearby," Rose stated with a worried look on his face.

"He?" Anthony wondered.

"You mean Lloyd?!" Albert gasped, "He's here?!"

"He's somewhere in the vicinity," Rose told him.

Anthony began to feel it too.  "Yeah…Something…evil is here," Anthony stated.

"You mean…you feel that too?" Rose asked.

"This feeling in my heart…In my soul…" Anthony described.

"_It cannot be…Is he…?_" she thought.

"Anthony, you're in danger!" Meru shouted.

The six warriors surrounded him.

"If he's here, he's here for you and the Dragoon Spirit," Haschel stated.

Lloyd stood upon the sunroof above Anthony and the six Dragoons.  He didn't notice them, however.  He looked around at all of the people walking by, trying to discern the presence of the _White Silver Dragoon Spirit_.

"It's here…somewhere…" he said, "One of these humans has it in their grasps."  That's when he noticed Dart and the rest of his friends down below.  "No!  It cannot be!  What are they doing here?!" Lloyd shouted, "Why are they standing in a circle like that…?"  

He saw Anthony in the middle.  

"Ah, I see…He is the one who holds the _White Silver Dragoon Spirit_," he smirked, "I can sense the power emitting from him.  This shouldn't be too difficult then."

He leaped through the sunroof, crashing straight down onto the ground of the mall.  He took out his [Dragon Buster] as all of the innocent visitors ran around in a panic, and shards of glass fell from the ceiling.

"There he is!!" Meru pointed.

The six Dragoons turned to face him.

"It seems you've all been able to follow me here…" Lloyd said, "I'm guessing that feeble boy you are protecting is the holder of what I am looking for."

"You won't touch a hair on him!" Rose yelled.

"Lloyd!  What you've done is unforgivable!" Dart shouted, "I won't forgive you for what you've done!!"

"Aww…Do you miss your dear, sweet Shana?" he laughed, "Get over it Dart.  She's dead!  And I'm the one who plunged the blade that killed her.  It'll be nice to do the same thing to you with the same sword that killed her."

"You bastard!" Dart yelled in pain.

"Now, out of my way.  This is between that boy and I," Lloyd ordered.

"STAY AWAY!" Kongol shouted.

"Very well then.  We'll do it your way.  But, this time, I won't be defeated!" Lloyd yelled.

**The six Dragoons protected Anthony and prepared for battle.**


	3. A Taste of Things to Come

"Out of my way!!!" Lloyd shouted at the top of his lungs.  He waved his arm in front of him, blowing the six Dragoons away from the one they tried to protect.

"Everyone!" Anthony cried worriedly.

Lloyd slowly floated towards Anthony with a grin on his face.  

Anthony stepped back in fright.

"You have something I want boy," Lloyd said, "Now, give it to me!"  He put out his palm; showing him to give the Dragoon Spirit to him.

"I know what will happen if I do!" Anthony replied, "I won't let you summon the _God of Destruction_!"

"It seems they've taught you quite a bit, haven't they…" Lloyd pondered, "If you won't give it to me willingly, I'll take it by force!!"  Lloyd pointed his arm towards Anthony's chest as a violet-colored, pulsating energy ball began to form within his palm.  He immediately fired it soon after.

"Ahh!!!" Anthony screamed as he covered his face.

  Kongol leaped in front of Anthony, with his back facing the energy ball, in order to shield him.  He grabbed Anthony in his large arms as they both were flung off across the floor.  Kongol turned around, while in the air, and landed on his back.  He grimaced in pain.

"Kongol!!" Anthony shouted worriedly, "Are you all right?!"

Kongol tried to give Anthony a smile while in pain, "KONGOL FINE.  ANTHONY ALL RIGHT?"

Anthony nodded as he also smiled, "Uhn.  I am thanks to you."

The rest of the group returned and stepped in front of Anthony and their injured friend.

"Kongol, can you still fight?" Haschel asked.

Anthony, even though he was so much smaller, tried to help Kongol back up onto his feet.

"KONGOL CAN," he stated, "ANTHONY, STAND BACK."

Anthony stepped around behind the Giganto.

"I already told you to step away!!" Lloyd yelled as he reappeared in front of them.

"Dragoons…!" Rose began to yell as she stepped forward, "…Transform!"

Their Dragoon Spirits emerged and placed themselves upon the chests of each of the six warriors.  They radiated a bright and magical colored light, initiating their transformation.

The light from Kongol's _Golden Dragoon Spirit_ began to cover his entire body.  He banged his large Giganto fist into the ground.  Right after, the ground itself surrounded his entire body, while inside the rock shell he was changing.  Soon enough, the rock covering burst open.  This revealed Kongol, the Golden Dragoon.

Out of Haschel's _Violet Thunder Dragoon Spirit_, a ring of purple lightning appeared above his entire body.  Slowly the ring descended upon his body.  And as it did, his Dragoon armor materialized little by little until his form was completed.  Haschel was now the Violet Thunder Dragoon.

Meru twirled around once and spread out her arms, as her _Sea Wave Dragoon Spirit_ emitted the strong blue light.  The light created a world of ice around her.  She lifted up her hammer and struck down upon the ice.  The ice crashed which exposed Meru as the Sea Wave Dragoon.

The _Jade Dragoon Spirit_ glowed brilliant rays of light.  Its magic created massive hurricane winds enveloping Albert's body.  Green leaves swirled around him, changing him.  Soon enough, Albert was the Jade Dragoon.

A mighty, dark light emanated from Rose's _Darkness Dragoon Spirit_.  It surrounded her entire body as a sphere of dark magic.  Inside the sphere, her silhouette could be seen transforming itself.  She burst out of the sphere as the Darkness Dragoon.

Massive fire was released from Dart's _Red-Eye Dragoon Spirit_.  He spread out his arms as fire encircled every single part of his body, creating the red armor.  Wings of fire struck through his back and transformed themselves into his Dragoon wings.  He took his sword and was now the Red-Eye Dragoon.

Anthony pushed his way through the panicking crowd as he headed onward towards the exit to the mall.  The people around him ran frantically towards any direction they could.  It was difficult to get through.

He stopped for a moment and turned around to face where he had come from.  A man bumped into him as he did.  He couldn't help but be worried for his new friends who were battling and risking their lives to protect him.  He couldn't believe they would do that, for him.  

"I hope they're all right…" he thought to himself, with a remorseful look upon his face.

The six Dragoons stood before the evil Wingly with their own respected weapons in hand, ready for battle. They knew they had to not only defend Anthony, but at the same time protect the innocent people of this world.  

"Once again, you stand before me." Lloyd stated, "Don't you think this is getting a bit old?"  His voice was full of sarcasm.

"We shall always oppose you Lloyd!" Albert shouted back.

"But, what a heavy task you have all taken…" Lloyd began to say.  He turned his hand so that palm of it was facing the sky.  His fingers were bent, almost as if he were clenching a large object.  Another energy sphere emerged above his fingers.  "Not only must you protect that boy…you must battle me and at the same time, protect the innocents around you.  Which one shall you choose?" Lloyd continued on.  He was always very snide and spiteful in what he said.

The Dragoon didn't know what to expect.  They had no idea what Lloyd was about to do next.

Lloyd turned over to his side and saw the many people running away from the battle that was about to occur.

Meru noticed and figured out what he was going to do.  Her eyes widened as she gasped.

Lloyd pulled his arm back and then threw the orb of magic in that direction.

"No!!" Meru cried.  She swiftly spread out her wings and headed towards the magic attack.  She managed to get ahead of it and flew in front of it.  She was hit in the chest and then blown into a wall, creating a massive crater upon.  She was knocked unconscious for the moment, but still managed to protect the innocent people.

"MERU!!!" Kongol shouted worriedly.

"Lloyd, you will pay for what you've done!" Rose yelled, pointing her blade at Lloyd.

Lloyd took his [Dragon Buster] and then also stood ready to fight.  "Very well then…" he began, "I'll finish you all first, and then take care of the boy!"

"You won't harm him!!" Haschel screamed as he spread out his Dragoon wings and jetted out towards Lloyd with intense speed.  His eyes were filled with anger and fury as he approached Lloyd.

Lloyd didn't seem too worried, however.  He simply stood there awaiting the arrival of the Violet Thunder Dragoon.

"Haagh!!!" Haschel cried.  He stopped flying, and while still in the air, began to deal lightning quick martial arts attacks to the Wingly.  He tried to swipe him in the face with his right fist and then spun around while attempting to hit him with a left back punch.  

Lloyd had only smirk on his face as all he had to do was use his supreme agility to dodge every single physical attack.

Still in floating in the air, Haschel turned and tried to perform a spinning kick to Lloyd's head.

Lloyd ducked, dodging the attack.  Nevertheless, in that split second, Lloyd took the offensive.  While still in a ducking position, he clenched his fist and struck upward in the form of an uppercut, hitting Haschel in the chin.

"Gugh!!" Haschel grunted in pain as he was hit.  The uppercut  gave Lloyd another opportunity to attack.

Lloyd spun around did his own spinning kick, hitting Haschel in the chest and blowing him all the way across the area.

Haschel flew across the room and crashed into the window display of a clothing store.

"Haschel!!" Dart shouted.

"That's two down…" Lloyd grinned.

"Dart, we have to do something…" Rose said softly.

"We can't let him keep doing this," Albert agreed.

"PHYSICAL ATTACKS NOT WORK.  TRY MAGIC," Kongol suggested.

"I believe Kongol is correct," Albert nodded in agreement.

"Then, I shall go first." Rose volunteered, stepping forward.

"Here comes the third," Lloyd said.

Rose raised her weapon into the air while calling out the spell, "Death Dimension!"  A white line traced itself around Lloyd in the shape of a large rectangle.  The rectangle lifted up into the air and spun once around.  It revealed that now Lloyd was trapped inside what seemed to be like a flat window of sorts.

"You think this would hurt me?" Lloyd asked egotistically, "This is pathetic, even for you Rose."  He used his Dragon Buster and struck it through the spell, creating a large crack as if it were glass.  Soon enough, the entire window cracked and crashed open, releasing Lloyd.

"No!" Rose gasped.

"DART.  KONGOL AND HUMAN KING DISTRACT LLOYD.  YOU ATTACK," Kongol explained a plan to Dart, as simply as he possibly could.

Dart agreed to the plan, "Good idea.  Be careful you two."

"We shall Dart," Albert replied.  He took his staff and faced towards Lloyd's direction.  "Come Kongol," he said.

"YES," Kongol said.

The two of them spread out their respective Dragoon wings and set off towards Lloyd.

"More?" Lloyd asked very nonchalantly.

Kongol lifted up his enormous axe and struck down upon the Wingly.

Lloyd dodged the blow by teleporting in that split second and then reappearing once more just a foot away from Kongol.

Kongol tried again, "WAGH!!!"  This time he swiped sideways and then tried to strike him upwards, and then finally finishing by attempting to strike down on him.

The Wingly was too swift for the bulky Dragoon.  He simply moved his body, only slightly, to evade each and every blow that Kongol threw at him.

Albert surprised Lloyd from behind and was able to catch him off guard.  Using his staff, he struck Lloyd right in the chest pushing him pretty far.  Albert took this opportunity to strike again.  He twirled his mighty staff above his head and then swiped Lloyd across the face with the point of his weapon.  

Lloyd was completely defenseless for the Jade Dragoon was attacking him like the gustiest winds.

Albert stopped, only for a second and put his staff away.  He closed his eyes as something extraordinary occurred.  The winds in the entire mall picked up to speeds even more powerful than those of a tornado or hurricane.  Out of thin air, glistening cherry blossom petals flew around in the colossal gusts of wind.  In a matter of seconds, Albert reopened his eyes as he called out the spell, "Rose Storm!!!"

The vast winds conjoined together, along with the petals of flowers, and attacked at once heading towards Lloyd.  Lloyd did his best to try and defend himself from the magic attack.  He tried using an invisible-type barrier to fend off the wind.  However, because he had been weakened prior to this with Albert's physical attacks, his barrier could not last.  Soon enough, the winds overtook him and threw him straight into the cement wall.  A big blast was heard as smoke came out of where he hit.

"Excellent," Albert smiled happily.  It was good to see his team winning for a change.  He slowly approached the smoke that came from where Lloyd had hit.  Slowly the smoke lifted to reveal that Lloyd wasn't even there.  "What?!" Albert gasped.

Lloyd teleported behind him instantaneously.  "Looking for me?" he said smugly.  He grabbed Albert by his arm, spun around and then threw him towards the Giganto.

Both Albert and Kongol were both blown over into another of the mall's businesses.

Lloyd's clothes were a bit ripped and his skin slightly scratched.  He spit out some blood from his mouth, "Insubordinate…"

"I hope you didn't forget about me!" a voice yelled from behind him.

It was Dart.

He had already begun one of his Dragoon Magic Attacks.  His wings had now been transformed into multi-colored flames.  He had his red steel sword pointed towards Lloyd as a sphere of fire blazed in front of him.  "Final Burst!!!" he cried as he rocketed towards Lloyd.

Lloyd could not do anything against this blazing assault.  As soon as Dart reached him, an immense explosion of fire and heat blew up over Lloyd.  Once the flames lifted, Lloyd fell down to the floor and onto his knee.  He held one arm and grimaced in pain.

A blade struck down and then stopped right before his face.

Lloyd looked up to see Rose, the Darkness Dragoon with a smirk of her own on her face, "Who's pathetic now?"

Lloyd gritted his teeth in frustration.  It seemed that his enemies were overthrowing him.  Nevertheless, Lloyd had a trump card up his sleeve and was not going to give up so easily.  He stood up and stepped back from Rose's blade.  When he turned around, the Sea Wave Dragoon stood in his way.

That's when the remaining Dragoons returned and surrounded Lloyd.

"This seems all too familiar, doesn't it?" Dart said haughtily. 

"I am through playing around with you!!" Lloyd yelled angrily, "I don't have time for any of you!!  I have come here for one thing…one person!!  And I will have it!!"

"We won't let you near him!" Meru shouted from behind him as she held up her graceful hammer.

Lloyd was silent for that moment.  He began to mumble something very softly as his body glowed the most eerie, dark luminescence.

"What's he doing?!" Haschel asked.

"Fiends of Darkness!  Fulfill my bidding!!!" Lloyd then finally shouted.  Many dark circles emerged around him.  

Clawed fingers and green, scaly skin pulled out of the black holes.  Before they knew it, demonic creatures leaped out and faced the Dragoons.  They were like the demonic souls of warriors killed in battle.  They had the armor, the shields, and the swords just like an ancient army.  But, now, they're teeth were as sharp knives and their eyes filled with thirst, for blood.

"I'll have them deal with you accordingly," Lloyd stated.  He vanished thereafter.

One of the demons approached Meru.  She leaped away from him and then used her hammer to strike him across the head.  "He's going after Anthony!!" she cried.

"Someone has to protect him!" Haschel added.  A demon tried to attack him as well.  However, using a purple sphere of electricity, he fended the demon off.

Dart pushed a demon back with his sword, "I'll go!"

"I'll go with you!" Rose stepped forward, "My magic won't work against these fiends!"

"DART AND ROSE MUST HURRY!" Kongol urged them as he bashed the head of a demon.

Using his wind elemental power, Albert blew a couple of demons away from his position.  He looked over to Dart and Rose, "Keep him safe!"

Dart and Rose nodded in agreement.  They soon spread out their wings and flew off in a hurry.  They had to reach Anthony before it was too late.

Anthony passed around a corner as he continued to run away that was slowly approaching him.  At that moment, he couldn't think about anything except running away.  

Running away.  It was something Anthony had done before.  It was something that he vowed never to do again.  He couldn't help but reminisce on a time when running away was all he knew how to do.

_It was years ago.  Anthony was just a few years younger than he was now.  Around 13 or so. _

_His mom's car pulled up next to a one floor middle school.  He gave his mother a kiss goodbye and then nervously stepped out of the car.  He closed the door behind him as his mother drove off.  He looked over at the landscape of the entire school while watching all of the different people talking with one another.  The feeling that ran across his mind was…_

_"I wanna run away."_

_He tried to put that thought outside of his mind and took a deep, deep breath; then exhaling.  He gathered all of his courage and steadily walked towards the entrance of the school.  As he did, all of the other students glanced and stared over at him.  Anthony tried not to look back at them.  He didn't want them to notice that he noticed them watching him.  _

_He continued to walk as he then heard the mumbles of chatter coming from those students staring at him._

_"Who's this guy?"_

_"A new kid?"_

_"What's up with him?"_

_He tried and tried to ignore what they said, no matter what it was.  Just before he reached the building he was supposed to enter, he stopped.  _

_He couldn't take it.  He wanted to be strong, but he didn't know how to be.  He had gone through this his entire life.  But, now, it was taking its toll on him.  It was really starting to affect him._

_Anthony quickly turned around and ran off in the opposite direction.  He never looked back.  Not even a glance.  He just…_

_Ran away._

Anthony stopped running and tried to snap out of it.  His eyes were slightly watery, ready to release tears of sorrow.  He shook his head, "Stop it Anthony!  That part of your life is closed now!"  He turned around to face the direction he was coming in.  "I ran away that day…I promised myself I would never run away from anything again," he told himself, "I'm going to help them in any way I can."  He picked up his feet and started to run off, back to his new friends.

Lloyd appeared in that moment right in front of Anthony, stopping him in his tracks.

Anthony was startled and leaped back, away from Lloyd.

"And where do you think you're going?" Lloyd asked him.

Anthony didn't say a word.

"I'm glad I bumped into you actually," Lloyd said in a very mocking-type manner, "You have something I want."

Anthony stepped back, putting his hand in his pocket, "Stay away from me!!"

"Ah…I see.  It's in that pocket," Lloyd grinned, "This shouldn't take long."

"Stay away!!" Anthony yelled as he ran away from him.

"Stop!!" Lloyd shouted.  He shot out another energy ball in front of Anthony, causing a small explosion.

Anthony stopped running when he was about a yard away from Lloyd.  He turned around to face him.  He was shivering within himself.  He didn't know what he could do.  He had no kind of power to stop him.

Meanwhile, Dart and Rose flew across the mall's passageways as fast as their wings would take them.  

"I hope he's all right," Dart said.

Rose was quiet for a moment.

"What is it?" he asked her.

"I sense…I believe Lloyd has already reached him," Rose said ominously and worriedly.

"Oh no…" Dart gasped, "Let's push on!"

Rose nodded in agreement.

"Give me the _White Silver Dragoon Spirit_!!" Lloyd demanded, "Now!!"

Anthony didn't know what to do.  If he gave Lloyd what he wanted, it could mean the end of the world.  But, if he didn't, it could mean the end for him.  He was completely and utterly defenseless.  Nonetheless, he had to make a decision.

"Well, what are you waiting for?!" Lloyd yelled loudly, "Come here and give it to me!!!"

Anthony had made his decision, "No!!!"

"Then, you shall die for it!!!" Lloyd screamed.  He raised both of his arms into the air.  Out of nowhere, bolts of dark lightning pulsated through his fingertips and assembled together above his palms.  The dark magic created a massive orb that was filled with violent energy.  It had grown twice Lloyd's size.  He flew up behind it and pointed it towards Anthony.

"Ah!" Anthony gasped.  He was frozen in fear and had no way out of this.

Dart and Rose arrived at that very moment.  They both gasped in shock when they saw what was about to transpire.

"Haahh!!!!" Lloyd cried as he punched the gigantic sphere, sending it towards Anthony.

"Anthony!!!" Dart and Rose yelled.  They both stopped when a blinding light emerged.

Anthony's entire body began to glow a holy, and gentle white.  A shimmering golden symbol appeared upon his forehead and began to radiate beams of spiraling light:

月

Anthony's eyes transformed themselves in color from a dark brown to a platinum silver color.

Lloyd's attack was just about to hit Anthony's body when the soft light touched it, causing it disintegrate into nothingness.

Lloyd covered his eyes, but still managed to sneak a peak of the luminous young boy.  "_This light…I have seen this light before!_" he thought to himself. 

"Rose, what's going on?!" Dart asked, also blocking his eyes.

"We have both seen this power before Dart," Rose told him, "A very long time ago, we both saw this light."  Rose didn't cover her eyes at all.  She simply stood there, watching.

The light and the symbol disappeared soon after.  But, then suddenly, Anthony's body began to levitate from the ground.  The _White Silver Dragoon Spirit_ floated up from his pocket and stopped in front of the center of his chest.

Dart uncovered his eyes to see the next event.

"And now, he accepts his destiny," Rose stated.

Anthony spread out his arms, his _White Silver Dragoon Spirit_ radiating on the center of his chest.  A beam of white light shined down from the skies above him.  The clothes he wore upon his body vanished and dematerialized, revealing a white colored silhouette of his naked body.  He floated within the beam of light as white angel feathers swirled around him.  They all came together as one on his body, transforming him.  He was now the mighty White Silver Dragoon, wings spread and determined.

Anthony faced the evil Wingly with the most resolute eyes.

Lloyd could only laugh and snicker, "Ha ha ha!!!  This is better than I thought!!  The White Silver Dragoon is actually the…!  Ha ha ha!!!"

Rose and Dart also turned to face Lloyd.

"For now, this battle you may have won.  But, now, this war is easier than I could have hoped!" Lloyd said, "Goodbye Dragoons!  Until we meet again!"  He then teleported away into the shadows of the night.

Anthony paused for a moment, but then smiled emphatically, "We did it!!"

Dart and Rose smiled along with him.

"I can't believe…" Anthony began to say as he began to feel weak and lightheaded.  His armor began to glow and then radiate white light.  When the light ceased, he returned to his normal form and then fell to the floor unconscious.

"Anthony!!" Dart cried.  He and Rose flew to his aid.

Rose knelt down and held Anthony in her arms.

"Rose, is he all right?" Dart asked fearfully.

Rose looked up to him and reassured him, "Don't worry.  He's fine.  He's just asleep."

"Dart!!" Albert shouted from afar.

"Rose!!" Haschel joined in.

"Anthony!!" Meru added.

The other four Dragoons landed next to their friends.

"Oh my god!  What happened?!" Meru cried as she sat down next to Anthony.

"IS ANTHONY ALL RIGHT?" Kongol asked.

"What happened here?" Albert wondered.

"I'll explain later.  Right now, we have to get Anthony back home," Rose replied.

The events that had gone on that night was what changed Anthony's life forever.  It was the turning point of his story.  It meant a new life for him.  These events are what will lead to the end of his story, and the end of this new life.


	4. His Story

_The moon that once radiated high above in the distant space was now unusually floating above the downtown area of the city.  Its color changed dramatically to the blood-red color that could only mean one thing.  Like [The Moon That Never Sets] in the world of Endiness, the moon of Earth was prepared to give birth to the God of Destruction: The Virage Embryo._

_The entire sky was filled with dark, ominous clouds.  But even with the opaqueness of these thick clouds, the once blue sky was now just as red as the moon itself, reflecting its evil and malice._

_However, throughout the darkness that filled the city, there was a small white light standing upon a building rooftop that faced the crimson moon.  It was Anthony, transformed into the White Silver Dragoon.  His face had no emotion.  He simply faced the scarlet moon as the wind blew all around him.  He took one step forward, and then another until he leaped onward towards the moon._

_The scene quickly shifted into pitch black as the worried cries of friends echoed throughout._

_"Anthony!"_

_"Anthony!"_

_"ANTHONY!"_

_"Anthony!"_

_"Anthony!"_

_"Anthony!"_

"Hah!" Anthony gasped as he lifted quickly from his bed.  He looked around to find himself back in his room.  It was a new day, for the sun was shining brightly through the window.  He felt uneasy and a little frightened.  The screams of those who called his name in his dream haunted him even after the conclusion of the dream.

"_Another dream…Could it mean something?_" he thought to himself.  He looked over to his side to see a clock that said the date and the day upon it.  The part he focused upon was the day.  The clock read: "SAT".  It was Saturday.

"Oh, what a relief…" Anthony sighed happily.

Anthony was already dressed for the day and made his way through the hallway and into the kitchen.  All of the blinds were now open and the rays of bright sunshine poured through.  It all seemed like a normal day to him so far.

"Sleeping in?" his mother asked, who was at the stove preparing some breakfast.  She looked very much like her son in physical characteristics.  She was, of course, shorter and had short brown hair.  

"Yeah, kinda…" Anthony sighed as he scratched his head.

"You're not usually the type to sleep-in.  Didn't you sleep well?" his mother inquired.

That's when it hit him.  He remembered the events that occurred the night before.  His first meeting with his enemy, Lloyd, was the first thing that came to mind; their face-off at the mall.  The images just flashed throughout his mind:

_"Well, what are you waiting for?!" Lloyd yelled loudly, "Come here and give it to me!!!"_

_Anthony had made his decision, "No!!!"_

_"Then, you shall die for it!!!" Lloyd screamed.  He raised both of his arms into the air.  Out of nowhere, bolts of dark lightning pulsated through his fingertips and assembled together above his palms.  The dark magic created a massive orb that was filled with violent energy.  It had grown twice Lloyd's size.  He flew up behind it and pointed it towards Anthony._

Anthony just paused for that moment.  He thought about it all.

"_That's right…Lloyd attacked me and then I…_" he thought.  He reached into his pocket and glanced at the White Silver Dragoon Spirit that lied there.  "_I transformed into the White Silver Dragoon…_" he continued.

"Anthony?" his mother asked as she put his plate upon the kitchen table, "Are you all right?"

Anthony shook his head, snapping out of his thoughtful mood, "Oh…Yeah, I'm fine.  It's like you said.  I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

"Well, today's Saturday so you should take today to rest up," his mother told him.

Anthony nodded, "Yeah, you're right."  He wanted to take the day to relax after all that had happened.  But, he knew there were certain people that he needed to visit first.

The Dragoons were at their secret hideaway that Anthony had given them.  They all were scattered around the area.  Meru sat upon the grass, simply in thought.  Kongol, Haschel, and Albert spoke to one another off to the side as Rose and Dart did the same.

"What happened yesterday…" Rose began to say, "Only supported what I already believed was true."

"That light…It was the same light that Shana released the first time she became a Dragoon," Dart remembered, "So what you said is true.  History does truly repeat itself."

"The light, the symbol on his forehead…It all means one thing," Rose stated.

The rest of the team gathered around to hear this monumental realization.

"Anthony is the [Moon Child]." she finished.

"No…" Meru whispered, "It can't be…"

"Now, you all see…" Rose turned to speak to all of her comrades, "…why it is we must protect him."

"We cannot change his fate, can we?" Albert sighed sadly.

"The only thing we can do for him now…is protect him from his fate," Haschel added.

Kongol nodded in agreement.

"No.  There is something else we can do for him," Meru told them, "We can be his friend."

Dart smiled, "Meru's right."

"We must vow to protect him," Rose said, "And he must never know."

That's when Anthony popped through the bushes, "Hey everyone!"

"Anthony!!" Meru cried happily.  She tried to change the mood so that Anthony couldn't tell what was going on.

"Good morning everyone," he said cheerfully.  He had a plastic bag in each hand.  "I've brought you all some food to eat.  I hope it's enough," he said.

"PLENTY," Kongol smiled.

Anthony walked over to the center and began to pull out the food.  "I hope everyone slept well.  I'm sorry I couldn't bring you any pillows or blankets," Anthony said.

"Don't worry about us," Haschel told him.

"The question is, did you sleep well?" Albert asked.

"Oh, me?" Anthony asked.  He tried to keep up his cheery disposition as not to worry the rest of the group.  "I feel great," he continued to smile, "Well rested and everything.  Now, everyone, eat up!  I'm sure you're all very hungry after last night."

Everyone sat down around the food Anthony had brought them and began to dig in.  

"Thank you Anthony," Dart said.

"Yes," Rose nodded.

Anthony stood up and still smiled, "It's no problem.  Oh and also…"  He lowered his head shyly and timidly.

"What is it Anthony?" Meru wondered.

"T-Thank you…for protecting me yesterday," Anthony replied.

"We would've done it anyway," Albert smiled warmly.

"Eh?" Anthony wondered in his oblivious manner.

"YES, THAT'S RIGHT," Kongol agreed.

"You are our friend after all," Dart said to him.

Anthony's face lit up with so much joy and happiness when he said that.  His eyes began to even tear up slightly.  "Really?" he asked, almost in disbelief.

Meru nodded, "Of course!"

Rose nodded, as did Haschel.

"Yes!  We're all friends now, aren't we." Anthony thought aloud, as it all sank in.  

"Now, come join us!" Meru shouted.

Anthony nodded and then sat down next to his new friends.  It was a joyous and life-changing moment for him.  He didn't want the moment to end.  He looked around at every single one of them.  He wanted to make sure he didn't forget that moment, for if it never came again.

Lloyd stood upon the rooftop of a corporate building in the downtown area.  His platinum-colored hair and his opaque clothing swerved with the gusts of wind.  He had his Dragon Buster struck into the cement as it stood vertically next to him.  He stared off into the horizon.

"That light…" he said to himself.  He could still see the bright, holy light that radiated from the young boy.  He grinned delightfully, "Who would've thought that he was the key?  This could be easier than I had hoped for."

He looked all across the city landscape, watching every single tall skyscraper stand tall and planes fly throughout the sky.

"Soon…this city will turn into the nesting ground for the moon and for the creation of the _God of Destruction_…The Virage Embryo.  And those Dragoons will relive the horror, but this time…they will not escape it."

"Ah!" Haschel yawned as he rubbed his stomach, "That was delicious!  Thank you Anthony."

"I'm glad you liked it," he smiled.

"What are your plans for the day Anthony?" Rose asked him.  She tried to bring up normal topics as not to mention their mission.  She didn't want Anthony to worry about any of that for now.

Anthony realized it quickly, "Rose…it's okay."

"Eh?" Rose wondered.

"We're all in this together now," he told her, "It is something that we need to talk about, isn't it?  Especially after last night."

Rose could see the maturity in the young boy's eyes and nodded in agreement, "All right."

"What is next?" he asked her.

"Well…as you already know, Lloyd's purpose here is to set [The Moon That Never Sets] in motion," Dart began.

"Right," Anthony nodded.

"In order to do that, he needs the three Divine Moon Objects." Albert added.

"Oh, yeah.  You mentioned that before," Anthony remembered, "So this means he's going to search for them.  Right?"

"Exactly," Meru said.

"Something worries me though…" Rose pondered.

"ROSE?" Kongol asked.

"Uhh…no, nothing." she brushed it off.  She didn't want to mention her suspicion in front of Anthony.

"What about that [Moon Child]?" Anthony wondered, "Doesn't Lloyd need this person too?"

Everyone paused.  They already knew who the [Moon Child] was.  They were going to keep it a secret, for now.

"Uhh…right…He'll…probably search for that too…" Haschel broke the silence.

"But, for now, we don't have anything to worry about…" Rose stated, seeming a little uneasy.

Dart quickly noticed.

"You should take this day for fun and to relax a little Anthony," she told him.

"Are you sure…?" Anthony asked, unsure that he should do that, "Maybe I should…"

"No, no…" Dart interrupted, "Rose is right.  You should go."

"O-Okay…if you say so," Anthony replied, "I guess I will."  He began to walk away and over to the bushes, "I'll see you all later."

"Hey, wait!" Meru shouted to him.

Anthony stopped to see her.

"Could…Could I come with you?!" she asked him.

"Huh…?  Umm…" Anthony stuttered.  He thought about it for a moment and realized how much he really enjoyed spending time with Meru.  He didn't mind her coming along.  "Sure!" he smiled.

"Yes!" Meru exclaimed, "Let's go!"

"Be careful you two!" Albert shouted.

"Keep an eye on him…" Rose said to her softly.

"Yeah, yeah." she replied, "We'll be fine."

"See you later!" Anthony said as he and Meru ran off.

Rose looked away, sadly and nervously.

"Rose, what is it?" Dart asked her.

"SOMETHING WRONG," Kongol said bluntly.

"You said something was worrying you?" Albert wondered.

"I think…" she began, "I think Lloyd might be able to find the Divine Moon Objects quicker than we think."

"Why do you say that?" Haschel inquired.

"During our quest in _Endiness_, Lloyd didn't find out about Shana being the [Moon Child] before it was too late…and then she…" Rose explained to them, "Anyway, that's why he had to go searching for the artifacts all across the land.  But, after last night, I'm sure he know about Anthony."

"I see what you're saying," Albert realized.

"I don't.  What are you guys talking about?" Dart asked worriedly.

"If Lloyd…were to get his hands on Anthony, he could use the power within him to draw the Divine Moon Objects out of their hiding places and summon them to him." Rose answered.

"Because Anthony, as the [Moon Child], is connected to those three artifacts," Albert added.

Dart understood, "Is it really possible?"

Rose looked away sadly, "I'm afraid it is."

"ANTHONY…" Kongol sighed.

"All of this could come crashing down on us if we're not careful," Haschel stated.

"For now, I think we'll be all right," Rose reassured them.

"As long as we keep an eye on him," Dart agreed.

"MERU WITH ANTHONY.  SHOULD BE FINE," Kongol told his friends.

"Yes…" Rose tried to smile, but under her breath said, "…I hope so."

Anthony and the flamboyantly dressed Meru walked along the sidewalks in his neighborhood.  The neighbors who were outside either mowing their lawns, getting their newspapers, or walking their dogs stared at the odd couple.

Meru didn't seem to care.  As for Anthony…

"I told you the way you were dressed would be considered…" he began to tell her.

"Oh, whatever!" Meru replied, "I look beautiful!"

"Heheh…right," Anthony scratched his head in embarrassment as a sweat drop fell on his head.

"Anthony!" someone called from behind.

Anthony and Meru turned around to see a young girl, Anthony's age, jogging up to them dressed in athletic attire.  She had dark skin and dark hair.

"Oh, Julie.  Hi," Anthony smiled.

"_This my very good friend, Julie Rhoden,_" Anthony narrated once more, "_She lives nearby.  We've known each other for quite some time now.  She's a great friend._"

"Hey!  Oh…who's this?" Julie asked, looking at Meru's clothes.

"Oh, this?  This is…" Anthony began.

Meru stepped in front of him and put her hand out to Julie, "I'm Meru!"  She continued to be in her usual cheerful disposition.

"Hi…Meru," Julie smiled, "I'm Julie.  It's nice to meet you.  So, you're a friend of Anthony's?"

"Well…" Meru began to say as she turned to smile at Anthony, "Yes, I am."

"Well, I'm glad I caught up with you Anthony.  I wanted to ask you something," Julie said.

"What is it?" he asked.

"There's an anime convention tomorrow at the convention center.  I was wondering if you wanted to come with me," Julie explained to him.

"Well…sure, I'd love to!" Anthony shouted happily.

"You're welcome to come too Meru," Julie said politely and generously.

"Uh…okay," Meru said as she then mumbled, "If I only knew what a-ni-me was."

"Okay.  Sounds good.  I'll call you later then!" Julie waved goodbye as she continued on her morning run.

"What is a-ni-me anyway…?" Meru asked as she then looked at Anthony saddened face, "What's wrong Anthony?"

He turned and started to walk slowly, "It's just…I know I'm going to be able to go…"

"Why not?" Meru wondered, "I'll go with you!"

Images of Anthony's nightmare, that he had earlier that morning, flashed throughout his mind; plaguing him.  He grimaced at the thought, "I just…have a feeling…that's all."  He shook his head to snap out of it.  "Besides, I have a sacred duty now.  Remember?" he said.

"But, even still…" Meru began as she followed him along the sidewalk.

_Anthony and Meru had spent the entire day together.  The evening was beginning to approach as the sun was beginning to set.  Anthony would never forget the day he spent with Meru.  Not only because of the laughs and the great times they shared, but for what was to come, sooner than later._

The both of them were laughing as they walked along the sidewalk.  They were heading back to the park to rejoin their friends.

"…and then, Kongol, he slipped and he fell right on top of the captain of the ship!" Meru laughed hysterically as she told Anthony a story.

Anthony laughed along with her, "That's too…funny!"

"Heheh…Yeah…!  It was…" Meru calmed down a bit, as she remembered something important, "The one thing I remember most about that was seeing Shana's smile…Heheh…"

Anthony was silent and didn't know what to tell her.  He had never experienced anything like that before.  He wouldn't know what to say.

"I think…the reason you and I connected is because…you're so much like her," Meru began to say.

"Yeah?" Anthony asked.

The two of them stopped walking and went to the curb to sit down.  

Meru looked up towards the sky, watching the moon begin to fade in as the light from the sun set in the distance.  "Shana…smiled a lot." she continued, smiling to herself a bit, "But, then…as our quest continued and she realized she was the [Moon Child]…that smile changed.  It wasn't like how it used to be."

"What do you mean?" Anthony wondered, asking in a gentle tone.

"Before, her smile was so carefree…without worries, you know?" Meru replied, "But, afterwards…when she found out about her destiny…she would only smile to please others, so that we wouldn't worry.  And then, when she died…that smile disappeared…"

Anthony could see the sadness and grief on his good friend Meru's face.  He wished he could ease her pain.  

"She and I became best friends too…" Meru began, turning to Anthony, "…Kind of like you and me."

Anthony smiled, "Thank you."

"We'll always be friends…right?" Meru asked him.

Anthony nodded, "Always."  

The night then arrived, as the stars gleamed and shined above them. 

Anthony gazed into them as she spoke, "After what you've told me…Shana and I…really are alike.  In the way that we try to make others happy…even if we're not."

"Aren't you happy?" Meru looked at him.

"S-Sometimes…" he replied.

"You said before…that you used to do a lot of things, but then you stopped…" she said, "Why is that?  Didn't those things make you happy?"

"Well…the one thing that I used to do a lot…was writing," Anthony told her, "I used to write a lot.  About all kinds of stories and adventures…I created characters that would go on these marvelous journeys and live extraordinary lives and I'd live vicariously through them, since I could never do any of those things.  For me…it was an escape…"

"What…were you escaping from?" Meru inquired, "Or, maybe it's none of my…!"

"No.  It's fine…" Anthony interrupted her, tears in his eyes, "I've never talked about this with anyone.  Maybe it's time I did."

He closed his eyes and began to run through his memories, sort them out so that he could tell his story to Meru.  His story…what made him who he was.

_Moving vans in front of all different kinds of houses were what filled his mind, illustrating what he wanted to say._

_"You see…My father was in the military, ever since I was born.  I was born into a lifestyle that would change my life…forever." he said._

_Different aged boys stood in front of the moving vans.  One about four, the other maybe seven, the other ten, and the last, fifteen years old; each of them with tears running down their cheeks._

_"See, here in this world, when someone is in the military…that means that you move around a lot…from place to place.  You get stationed in different locations, every couple years…" Anthony explained, "You never…get to keep the friends that you have…It affected me."_

_The scene changed, to a day when his mom's car pulled up next to a one floor middle school.  _

_Anthony gave his mother a kiss goodbye and then nervously stepped out of the car.  He closed the door behind him as his mother drove off.  He looked over at the landscape of the entire school while watching all of the different people talking with one another._

_"Going from school to school…was very hard.  Every time…I was considered the 'new kid'.  Everywhere I went, I was labeled as such," he continued, "I always wanted to…run away."_

_Young Anthony tried to put that thought outside of his mind and took a deep, deep breath; then exhaling.  He gathered all of his courage and steadily walked towards the entrance of the school.  As he did, all of the other students glanced and stared over at him.  Anthony tried not to look back at them.  He didn't want them to notice that he noticed them watching him.  _

_He continued to walk as he then heard the mumbles of chatter coming from those students staring at him._

_"Who's this guy?"_

_"A new kid?"_

_"What's up with him?"_

_He tried and tried to ignore what they said, no matter what it was.  Just before he reached the building he was supposed to enter, he stopped.  _

_He couldn't take it.  He wanted to be strong, but he didn't know how to be.  He had gone through this his entire life.  But, now, it was taking its toll on him.  It was really starting to affect him._

_Anthony quickly turned around and ran off in the opposite direction.  He never looked back.  Not even a glance.  He just ran away._

_The rain started to fall and Anthony wouldn't stop running.  He continued up along the streets, his clothes soaked and his hair dripping with water.  He just wouldn't stop._

Anthony opened his eyes as a tear fell down his cheek, "So…at times…I, myself, felt unimportant and so…what I did was unimportant.  That's why I stopped writing.  Even though I loved it…because it wasn't important to anyone else…I just…stopped."

"Oh, Anthony…" Meru sighed as she embraced him.

Anthony wiped his tears as they broke their hug.

"I guess…this is really why we're so close…" Meru said to herself.

"W-What do you mean?" Anthony asked, sniffling a bit.

"You and I relate to each other on so many different levels," Meru smiled, "We're so similar."  She wanted to explain to him, her own story.  "I have a pastime of my own that I used to love, and still do love actually." she began.

"You did?" Anthony asked, surprised.

"You see, I'm the daughter of very important Winglies," Meru told him.

"Meru…?!  You're a Wingly?" Anthony gasped.

She nodded and then returned to her tale, "Just like you loved writing…I loved dancing.  I was a dancer.  But, because my parents wanted me to become an aristocrat like they were…they never came to see me dance.  They never even cared…"

"It…wasn't important them…?" Anthony stated, realizing their situation were extremely similar.

"Yeah, exactly." Meru said, "That's when I decided to leave home and pursue that.  I became a dancer, and people liked me.  I was very sad that my family wasn't supporting me…but, I continued on because it made _me_ happy, and no one else.  That's why people do the things that they love most."

Anthony gazed at her, realizing how good a friend she really was.

"…Because it makes them happy.  And if I hadn't continued with dancing, I would've never met Dart and Shana and everyone.  Dancing changed my life…maybe writing will change yours…" Meru finished.

Anthony smiled, tears in his eyes, "Thank you Meru!"  He leaped into her arms and held it her tight.  She helped him find what he had lost, even if it was right in front of him all along.

Meru hugged him back, as tears formed in her eyes.  She was so happy to be around him.  "How about you and I make a deal?" she asked him.

"What?" Anthony asked, breaking their hug.

"If you promise me that you'll get back to writing…I promise I'll get back to dancing, because it's what we love," Meru told him.

Anthony thought about it for a moment, but knew what his heart was telling him, "Deal!"

"Good," Meru smiled.

"Ah!" Anthony grimaced as he held his head.

"Anthony?!" Meru gasped, "Oh my god!  What's wrong?!"

Anthony then realized this feeling that he had.  It was all too familiar to him.  He knew what it was, "He's here…!"

"He?" she asked.

"What a touching scene you've both displayed…" a familiar male voice spoke, in a sarcastic and sadistic manner.  His voice echoed throughout the air as he then appeared through the darkness.  

It was Lloyd.

Anthony and Meru both got to their feet.  

Meru stepped in front of Anthony, putting her arm in front of him, in order to protect him.  "Lloyd!" she shouted defensively.

Anthony stepped back slightly, in fear.  He knew that Lloyd meant serious business.  He could see it in his vicious eyes that stared into his own.  

"Time to claim what was rightfully mine to begin with…" Lloyd grinned maliciously staring at Anthony, "Ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!"


	5. The Beginning

"Ha ha ha ha!!!!" Lloyd continued to laugh in his usual sinister and menacing manner.

Meru looked back to Anthony, who was still standing behind her, "Anthony, get help!"

"But, I…!" he began.

"Go!" Meru shouted.  She wasn't going to risk him getting hurt.

"No!  I can't let you fight him alone!" Anthony shouted back.  He stepped forward and slightly in front of Meru, "We're both Dragoons, remember?!  We fight together!"

Meru smiled at him, respecting his mature attitude, "Okay!"

"You Dragoons never cease to amaze me!" Lloyd smirked, "You always show that purity that lies within your spirits…that light.  Well, guess what?  I'm going to be the to put out that light into obscurity!  Especially when this world becomes the nesting ground for [The Moon That Never Sets]!  You Dragoons will not be able to salvage it this time!"

"Don't be too sure!  We will stop your evil ambition!" Meru yelled back as she stepped up.

"Ah, yes…My Wingly princess…" Lloyd grinned, "You know, I'm glad that you and I are able to speak to each other, one-on-one, for there is something important that I forgot to mention to you."

"What are you talking about?!" Meru asked him.

"Meru!  Anthony!" two voices called from behind.

The other Dragoons, bestowed with their armor, flew up from behind them.

"Everyone!" Anthony said happily.

"We sensed his presence and hurried over here as fast as we could," Rose stated.

"And so the rest arrive…I do not mind.  I wish for all of you to witness what I am about to tell your Wingly comrade," Lloyd told them all.  One could easily tell he wasn't with the best intentions.  He looked to Meru with cruel eyes, "Our race was such a proud race, don't you think so?  Every single one of us…"

"W-What are you saying?!  Why do you say it like that?!" Meru kept asking.

"This was quite some time ago…I returned 'home' just before I activated [The Moon That Never Sets].  Hmm…it was after you had visited, I'm sure.  They all wanted to protect you," he explained as he took out his Dragon Buster.

Meru was afraid of what he was about to tell her.

"Each of them stepped in front of my blade…" he continued, as he began to gesture what he was saying by slashing down with his sword, "One…by…one…"

Meru gasped as tears began to form in her eyes, "…No."

"Meru…" Anthony sighed sadly.  He and his friends could only watch for now.

"Soon enough, I reached your parents…Both of them vowed that they would not let me hurt you," Lloyd said mockingly, "But, with two quick slashes from my blade…and they were finished."

Meru had completely lost it.  She couldn't handle what she was hearing.  She buried her face in her hands and dropped to her knees as she sobbed, "Momma…Poppa…"

"Oh, yes.  And then this warrior came to stop me.  He seemed to be quite taken with you.  I could tell, not only by his eyes, but by the way his heart beat in my palm…" Lloyd told her with pure blood lust in his voice.

Meru looked up to him, tears all over her face, "No…!!  Not…!!"

"I believe his name was…Guaraha?" Lloyd asked.

"Ahh!!!" Meru cried, "Guaraha!!!"

Anthony wanted to say something to her, but held back.  He knew there was nothing he could say to her right now.  She had already lost her best friend.  Now she had lost her family, and her lover.  

Anthony clenched his fist in anger and frustration and faced Lloyd.  "I don't understand you!!!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, "How could you be so heartless?!  You killed your own people!!!  Have you no remorse?!!!  No shame!!!"

"Oh, please.  I'm so over it," Lloyd said nonchalantly, "They stood in my way, so I figured I'd just dispose of them…just like I'm going to dispose of your little friends here in a moment."

"Not while we're still breathing!!" Dart shouted.

"We can arrange that…" Lloyd smirked.

"I won't forgive you…" Meru mumbled softly.

"What?" Lloyd asked her.

"I won't forgive you…!" she said even louder, "I won't forgive you…I won't forgive you…I WON'T FORGIVE YOU!!!!!!"  She looked up to him as her crystal blue eyes began to glow.  Out of her body, power began to emit in the form of bright blue light as well as showing its intensity in the form of strong wind.  

The intense air that she blew pushed even her friends back.  Anthony fell onto Kongol's huge chest as he held him tightly.

"What's happening?!!" Anthony shouted loudly, having to yell over the forceful wind.

"She's…She's releasing her Wingly power!!!" Albert answered.

Meru put her hand out as her large mallet appeared within her fingers.  Out of her back, small blue transparent wings formed.  "I hate you!!!" she yelled with all her fury as she flew up to Lloyd at incredible speed.

"Uh?!!" Lloyd gasped.

With all of her strength and might, Meru bashed Lloyd right in the chest, sending him flying across a house and over to the lake lied near the park.  Meru, without hesitation, followed him.

"Meru!!" Haschel called.

"MUST GO AFTER MERU," Kongol stated.

"Yes.  We have to help her," Rose added, "This could be disastrous…"

"For who?" Anthony asked.

"…For both." Rose answered ominously.

Lloyd was levitating over the dark, deep blue lake.  He looked around nervously to see where his attacker was.  He knew what the true power of a Wingly was; for he was a Wingly himself.

From the distance, Meru came flying just above the water, spreading out around her as she flew in.  She pulled back her mallet and struck Lloyd again, blowing him back even further.

Lloyd felt his lip and saw blood on his fingers.  He was being hit hard enough to make him, the most powerful Wingly, bleed.

"Haahhh!!!!" Meru screamed as she came at him again.

This time, Lloyd defended himself from his enemy.  He grabbed her hammer and swiped it from her hands.  "Try and fight me now without your little hammer," Lloyd told her in a mocking way.

Meru grew even more furious.  She pointed one hand at him as blue energy in the shape of a boomerang shot out at him.

"Ugh!" Lloyd grimaced as he was hit.

Like a combination of punches, she kept shooting and shooting at him, blowing him even further back.

Lloyd was injured, and pretty badly.  He held the side of his ribs in pain.

"You will pay…!" Meru yelled, "For Momma…and Poppa…and…Guaraha!!!  Ugh…Ahh!!!"  She held her head and grimaced in pain.  The water beneath her began to swirl like a whirlpool, as did the wind that began to encircle her like a tornado.  It seemed like she was about to commence a powerful spell.  The wind turned into blue magic that spewed small bolts of electricity.

"Meru!!!" Dart shouted from the side of the lake.

"What is this?!" Albert cried.

"Meru's Wingly magic level is too premature!" Rose answered him.

"What does that mean?!" Haschel inquired.

"Remember how I said this could be disastrous for both?!" she began, "This is why!  If she lashes out, she could end up destroying the most of this urbanization, Lloyd…and ever herself!"

"Ah!" Anthony gasped.  He didn't know what he could do.  He could see his dear friend Meru in trouble from within that cyclone of magic.  He looked down, ashamed that he couldn't do more.  All he could see was Meru's kind face and the kind words she had said to him earlier:

_"…I was very sad that my family wasn't supporting me…but, I continued on because it made me happy, and no one else.  That's why people do the things that they love most…because it makes them happy."_

Anthony's heart felt so warm and so full of light.  Once again, his body began to emit the holy, white light.

All of his friends turned to see it.

"Anthony…!" Dart gasped.

"He's…!" Haschel added.

The glowing yellow symbol returned to his forehead, illuminating its brilliant light.

Lloyd could see, from where he was, on the shore of the lake where the light came from.  "It's him…!" he said to himself, "This could be my chance…!"

Anthony's body lifted up from the ground and slowly began to hover towards Meru's location.  However, this time, the most massive and illustrious white angel wings burst from his back.  He slowly flew over to Meru, his eyes now the color of shimmering silver.

Meru still grimaced and grabbed her tightly to lessen the pain, "Agh…!  Ugh!!!"  She could see a white light approaching her from behind and turned around to see what it was.  She gasped when she Anthony, in all his angel splendor, approaching her.

Anthony entered the twister of power and floated in front of Meru.  He smiled to her and stretched out his arms to her.  He slowly moved to her and embraced her within his arms.

She suddenly began to feel at peace, as she felt the pain begin to leave her body.

"Don't worry…It'll be all right…" he whispered as his immense angel wings enveloped both of their bodies.

A flash of bright light commenced, blinding everyone nearby.  As everyone then reopened their eyes, they could see that the magic had stopped.

Lloyd was pleased to see it gone.

Anthony reopened his wings as an unconscious Meru fell out of them.

"Meru!!" Dart cried as he set out into the air and caught Meru before she hit the lake.  He looked up to see the lustrous Anthony.  "Anthony…" he sighed.

"My chance…!!" Lloyd said to himself.  He gathered all of his strength and flew towards the young boy.

Rose saw him flying towards Anthony, "Oh no!!  Look out!!"

Lloyd came up from behind Anthony and wrapped his arms around his neck.

Anthony struggled to break free from his grasp, trying to pull Lloyd's arms off of him.  He blinked once, as the actual Anthony returned; his eyes now their normal color.  He still glowed the holy white light and his angel wings remained as well.  Anthony looked below him and then at his body.  "_What is this…?_" he thought.

Meru slowly began to reawaken.  When she opened her eyes, after blinking twice, she saw Anthony in danger just above her.  "Anthony!!!" she cried.

"Meru, you're awake!" Dart exclaimed.

"Ugh…!!!" Anthony still struggled, "Let me go!!!"

"I finally have you…[Moon Child]!!!" Lloyd yelled into his ear.

"Ah?!" Anthony gasped when he heard those words.  He couldn't believe what he was hearing.  He was the [Moon Child]?

"We have to help him!!" Meru shouted, as she leaped from Dart's arms and straight into the water below her.

"Meru!!" Dart shouted.

A flash of blue light flared from within the lake, as then Meru swooped up and out of the depths.  She had transformed herself into the Sea Wave Dragoon.  "Let him go!!!" she cried as she flew up towards Lloyd.

"Be gone, you pest!" Lloyd shouted back.  He pointed his blade at her, firing an immense wave of dark magic in the form dark lightning bolts.  

She was hit straight in the chest and blown back to Dart's location.

"Dragoons…!" Rose shouted as they all spread out their wings, "…let's fly!!!"

The remaining Dragoons that stood at the shore rushed into battle towards the white light.  Each of them put up their weapons and raced into battle.

"Yahh!!!" Lloyd yelled.  He fired another wave of dark magic, but this time in the form of a strong, forceful black mist that also blew the Dragoons back.  "Now, to get what I came for…" he stated, "Objects of power, objects of death, objects of destruction…Come forth and reveal your forms to us!  Come to your [Moon Child]!!"

"What?!!" Anthony gasped.  It was true what he was hearing.  He really was the [Moon Child].

"[Moon Gem…Moon Dagger…Moon Mirror]!!  Bequeath me with your enchanting magic!!!" Lloyd finished.

"Ahhhh!!!!!!!!" Anthony began to scream loudly, as the golden symbol upon his forehead began to radiate beams of light.

The Dragoons covered their eyes to protect their eyes from the bright light.

"Anthony!!!" Meru cried.

The glistening moon above them began to emit an eerie golden glow.  From its illuminating light, three beams of golden light hurled down and placed themselves in front of Anthony and Lloyd.

"Yes…YES!!!" Lloyd shouted with pure ecstasy, "They're here!!!"

"No!!!" Haschel shouted.

"The Divine Moon Objects are…!!!" Albert began to yell.

In each of the three beams of light, an object materialized itself.  The first beam held a round, metal sphere that held a large green gem within it; which could be seen through a large crevice in the object.  This was the [Moon Gem].  The second beam had a small, sharp blade made of the same material as the gem.  The blade was slightly curved back.  There was a small green gem carved into the handle.  This was the [Moon Dagger].  The final beam held a small handheld mirror, also of the same material as the other two.  The mirror glass did not project any reflection.  It was purely opaque.  There was also a green gem upon the top of the mirror.  This was the [Moon Mirror].

"The Divine Moon Objects!!!" Rose gasped, "No!!!"

The light from the symbol on Anthony's forehead ceased, as the symbol also vanished.  The glow from his body also ended, as his angel wings returned into his body.  "U-Ugh…" he fell unconscious inside Lloyd's arms.

The three Divine Moon Objects floated into Lloyd's hands.  "Ha ha ha ha!!!!" he laughed evilly, "Now it's all over!!!  Now I have the Divine Moon Objects, and the boy!!!  Ha ha ha ha!!!!"

"NOT IF WE CAN HELP IT!!" Kongol yelled.

Albert closed his eyes as he began one of his Dragoon spells.  The winds in the entire mall picked up to speeds even more powerful than those of a tornado or hurricane.  Out of thin air, glistening cherry blossom petals flew around in the colossal gusts of wind.  In a matter of seconds, Albert reopened his eyes as he called out the spell, "Rose Storm!!!"

Dart threw his sword up into the air and placed his palms in front of his chest.  Drawing magic from his Dragoon Spirit, fire magic began to collect itself in between his palms, soon creating a massive ball of flames.  "Flame Shot!!!" he shouted as he hurled the magic attack at Lloyd.

"Atomic Mind!!!" Haschel quickly yelled, sending off a massive attack filled with violet bolts of lightning.

"GRAND STREAM!!!" Kongol called out his spell, launched a wave of golden magic at the evil Wingly.

All of the Dragoon attacks headed towards Lloyd's direction.

"Uh?!" he gasped.  He let Anthony go and then teleported away, the magic spells missing him.

As Anthony went falling towards the lake, Meru flew in and rescued him just before he hit the water.  "Anthony…" she smiled to him, even though he was still unconscious, "…You're all right now."

Lloyd reappeared in front of the team of Dragoons, laughing as usual, "Ha ha ha ha!!!  It does not matter!!  The boy will be mine, soon enough!!  But, now…what you all should be concerned with is what right glows in the sky!"  He pointed to the full moon that shimmered in the night sky, surrounded by sparkling stars.

The Dragoons looked to it, and knew he was right.

"In time, that moon's white light will change…to that of the thickest of blood!  This time, your efforts will not stop me!!  This world will soon be mine!!!  Ha ha ha ha!!!" he went on laughing, vanishing into the night.

"Urgh…this can't be happening!" Albert said.

"The events are occurring once again…" Rose stated in disbelief.

"This world will turn into a battlefield…just like _Endiness_ was…" Dart added.

"What now?" Haschel asked himself.

Kongol looked away sadly.

None of them knew what they were going to do now.  They stopped their world from ending once.  They didn't know if they could possibly do it again.

"Anthony!!" Meru called to him.

Everyone turned around to see Meru kneeling down next to Anthony, holding him.  They all flew to him.

"Do not worry Meru," Rose reassured her, "He's just fatigued, that's all.  He'll be fine as soon as he gets rest."

"He…saved me…didn't he?" Meru asked them, in a soft voice.

"Yes, he did." Haschel answered.

"He saw you in danger and did not hesitate to assist you…He really is quite taken with you," Albert smiled.

"THINGS DIFFERENT NOW," Kongol told them, in his usual blunt manner.

"Yes.  He knows now," Dart said disappointingly, "About him being the [Moon Child]."

"When he wakes up…who knows how he'll take it…" Haschel added.

"He will be upset with us…for not telling him sooner…" Rose said to them, "We will have a lot of explaining to do tomorrow."

They all looked towards the full moon.  Their faces looked so somber.  Everything was at its culmination.

"We should get him back home," Dart said.

"Yes," Albert agreed.

"Oh, Anthony…" Meru whispered, "Please don't be made at me…for not telling you…"

The moon glimmered radiantly above them.  Soon enough, however, the moon's light would change; just as Lloyd had described earlier.  The only question was: Could it be stopped?


	6. The Middle

The bright sunshine broke through Anthony's bedroom window.  He was already up and about, making his bed and cleaning up his room a bit; for lately he hasn't had a lot of time to do so.  

As he spread his bed comforter, he had a somber look upon his usual jovial face.  It was almost like he couldn't show any emotion at all.  It was probably because he didn't even know what to feel anymore.  In one night, everything he knew had changed drastically.  He was left bewildered, lost…and confused.  The words Lloyd had spoken into his ear the night before, echoed throughout his entire mind:

_"I finally have you…[Moon Child]!!!"_

Anthony still couldn't believe what he had heard.  It was almost as if he was in denial.  Him, the [Moon Child]?  But, then again, he was the White Silver Dragoon.  It made sense, didn't it?

A knocking came to his door, "Anthony…you awake?"

Anthony didn't say a word.

"Anthony…" the voice called as the door opened.  Anthony's mother walked in.  "Oh, you are awake.  I didn't hear you come in last night," she said.

"Oh, sorry…I didn't want to wake anybody," Anthony said to her softly.

"It's all right.  Actually, Julie called you earlier.  She said to call her back as soon as you could," she explained to him.

He nodded to his mother, not even looking at her.  He knew why Julie had called him.  The Anime Convention.  With all that was going on, he wasn't sure if he was even up to going now.  All he knew is that there was one thing that continuously bothered him.  There was one question that was left unanswered.

"Did you know?" he asked.

It was later that afternoon.  The clouds began to hover above them at their hideaway, covering up the usually bright sun.  It seemed bad weather was approaching them.

The Dragoons all stood in front of them, neither of them saying a word.

"Okay…I'm going to ask you again and I want a straight answer," Anthony said to them sternly.  He was angry, and very much hurt.  "Did you all know about me being the [Moon Child]?" he asked.

Rose bit her lip, not wanting to say anything.  However, she knew someone had to tell him the truth.  He had the right to know.  "Y-Yes…" she said softly, then raised her voice, "Yes, we knew."

The clouds above began to thunder.  Anthony stepped back, tears beginning to form.  He couldn't believe it.  He couldn't believe they lied to him and kept this secret from him.  "You…knew?" he asked, so choked up, "Since when?"

Dart stepped forward to speak up, "Since the first day we met you…"

Anthony felt like he couldn't breathe.  He couldn't take this at all.

"And all of you knew…?" he asked, looking to all of them.  He then saw Meru, his good friend, "Did you?"

A tear ran down Meru's face as she looked down ashamedly.  She couldn't face him.

Anthony knew the answer, "So everyone did…And you weren't going to tell me…?"

"Of course we were…it's just…!!" Haschel began to explain.

"You weren't going to tell me until it was too late!  Is that it?!" Anthony yelled.

No one said a word.  They looked away from him, guiltily.

"What will happen to me?" Anthony said, holding back the tears as he closed his eyes.

"What?" Albert replied.

"What will happen to me?  What is the [Moon Child]'s fate?" he inquired.

"I-If…" Rose began, trying to keep her composure, "If the [Moon Child] merges with the Virage Embryo, the _God of Destruction_ will be born."

"And what about me?  What will happen to me, my body?" Anthony asked.

Rose knew that's what he was asking in the first place.  She didn't know how to answer him without it hurting him.  What he was about to hear would change everything for him.  It would change his entire life.

"Well?!" Anthony shouted.

"The [Moon Child]'s human body is only a vessel to carry the power that the Virage Embryo requires.  When the [Moon Child] merges with the embryo, their soul is taken…their life…So, in turn…the human dies…" Rose finally said.

Anthony gasped within himself.  He couldn't believe that he might die.  He clenched his fist and gathered his strength, "That's it then…I'm done.  I'm through."

"What?" Dart asked.

"I quit…I'm fired, I resign!!  You can find someone else to be your [Moon Child]!!" Anthony yelled, tears running down his face.

"Anthony, you need to understand that the signs and the legends have always…" Rose began to explain to him.

"Legends…?" he asked.  He looked next to him to see some empty cans.  He picked them up and threw a couple towards his friends, "Read me the legends!!!  Tell me my signs!!!  That doesn't help me any!!!  I am going to die!!!  Don't you see that?!!"

"ANTHONY, BUT…" Kongol began to speak.

"Don't worry," Dart tried to reassure him, "We're not going to let that happen to you.  We'll find another way around it."

"I already did.  I quit, remember?  Pay attention!" Anthony snapped back, "Don't you see that the only way out of this is through death?!  Don't you all remember what happened to Shana?!"

Lightning flashed in the distance.

Dart was hurt by those words.

"The only way she escaped her fate was through death!  She died!" Anthony told them.

Everyone around him looked so sad, so helpless.

"But, Anthony we need you…!" Rose began.

"I don't care!!" Anthony yelled back, "…I don't care…"  He turned to look at Meru, tears in his eyes, "Meru…I'm only 17 years old…I don't wanna die…"

_(The song "Only Hope" by Mandy Moore begins to play)_

The rain began to fall down, as Anthony ran away from them.

"Anthony!" Meru cried, "Wait!"  She was about to run after him when Albert stopped her.

"Leave him be," he said.

"But…" Meru replied, "Why does this have to happen?!"

Everyone simply stood there, letting the rain drench their bodies.  They didn't care.  They were too hurt to care, too guilty.  And now, they may have already lost for they may have already lost a dear friend.

Anthony went running all across his neighborhood, tears flying across his face.  The rain would not stop him.  He just kept on running, non-stop.  His clothes were soaked with water, and his hair completely drenched.  None of it mattered to him.  He could only see the faces of the people who were his dear friends.

Kongol.

Haschel.

Albert.

Rose.

Dart.

And Meru…

Their smiling faces.

He couldn't believe that they would betray him and lie to him the way that they had.  Everything really did change after all.

Anthony soon arrived back in front of his house.  He stared at it, his home.  It was the only place in the entire world where he felt safe.

Anthony had gotten out of his wet clothes and into some dry ones.  It didn't change the way he felt, however.  He lied down on his bed, looking out into the window watching the rain drops hit his window.  The sadness that he felt just wouldn't go away.

His mother entered the room and sat next to him on his bed.  She could tell something was wrong.  "Do you think if I asked, you'd tell me what was wrong?" she asked.

Anthony didn't respond.  He continually stared out the window.

"Right…It would take the fun out of guessing," she said, getting up from the bed, "Well, food will be ready soon."  She closed the door behind her as she left.

Anthony just wanted to be a normal teenager.  He wanted it to be like how it was before all of this supernatural stuff happened.  Even if it was only for a moment, he wanted to return to the way things were.  For, he knew that he wouldn't be able to escape.  He had accepted his fate, and now just wanted to have one more happy moment that he'd be able to take with him.

_(Song ends)_

He reached over to his blue telephone and began to dial a number.  

Someone answered, "_Hello?_"

"Hello, is this Julie?" he asked.

"_Yeah,_" she replied.

"Hey, it's Anthony." he told her, "I was just calling to see if you had gone to the convention yet."

"_Well, actually, I was waiting for your call.  You still up for going?_" she asked him.

He thought about it for a moment, but knew his answer, "Yeah…definitely."

"_All right.  I'll be there in about half an hour,_" she said.

"Right.  See you then," Anthony said as he hung up the phone.

He stood up from his bed and walked over to his closet.  He opened the doors and began to look through to find something to wear to the convention.  He stopped for a moment and looked back to his dresser.

The White Silver Dragoon Spirit shined its usual radiance.

The Orange County Convention Center, one of the largest ever created, found in the heart of the City of Orlando.  The center itself stretching across a long, populated street.  Both sides of the streets surrounded by the immense structure.  It is beige in color and has large glass windows built along its walls, along with castle-like stairs that lead up to the next floor.  A roofed bridge extended across the street and over to the other half.  Its always a busy and happening place in the city.

The rain had let up, at least for a little while.  The dark, ominous clouds still remained above them.

Anthony and Julie arrived before the main entrance to the convention center.  All different types of people entered inside the large building.  A lot of them were dressed in cosplay, or in an anime costume.  Anthony and Julie looked at one another and smiled.  They rushed into the center, laughing.

The room that the anime convention had gotten was enormous.  There were all kinds of booths spread all the way around.  There were so many people gathered around each one.

Anthony and Julie walked around, looking at everything there was to see.  They stopped by the booths, seeing what they had to offer.  The two of them looked through artbooks and examined wallscrolls of all different kinds of series.  They even bought a few things, carrying around a plastic bag full of merchandise.

As they were walking and talking to one another, they were stopped when an interesting character jumped before them.

An overweight woman dressed in a "Sailor Moon" costume leaped in front of them and began to recite the super heroine's infamous speech.  She even did the movements just as the anime character did.

Anthony and Julie were simply stunned. They didn't know what to say as a sweat drop fell upon their heads.

And other things would happen the entire time they were there.  The both of them had a great time with one another, laughing and giggling.  

Anthony would never forget that day, for he never knew if a day like that would ever come again.

Julie sat down on a bench, putting her bags on the side.  "Ah! " she sighed.

Anthony sat next to her, "I'm all 'anime-ed' out!"

Julie laughed, "Trust me, I know the feeling."

Anthony giggled along with her.

"Say…Anthony," she began, "What about that new friend of yours?  Meru, was it?"

Anthony's face changed from a joyful smile, to a somber look.

"Wasn't she going to come too?" Julie wondered.

"She…couldn't make it today," Anthony replied, trying to come up with some excuse.

Julie looked at him.  She could tell that wasn't quite it.  "Hmm…" she said, "You know, no matter what…even if you have problems with any of your friends…"

"Huh?" Anthony said.

"…If they're important ones, it's not worth losing them.  Don't you think so?" Julie asked him.

Anthony paused for a moment, and thought about what she said.

"Meru…is an important friend of yours, isn't she?" Julie continued, "Do you want to lose her?"

Anthony looked down, remembering her cheerful face and the talks that she and him shared.  He smiled to himself, "…No."

"Then, isn't important to talk things out?  No matter what the situation may be?" Julie told him.

Anthony looked to her, and smiled in a very gentle way; and at the same time, thankful.  "Thank you…" he said, "I…I needed to hear that…"

Julie put her hand on his shoulder, "That's what I'm here for.  Now come on, let's look some more.  Okay?"

Anthony stood up along with her, "Oka…!  Ugh!!"  He grasped his head in pain as he felt a terrible, yet familiar force.

"Anthony!  What's wrong?!" Julie cried worriedly.

Anthony knew what it was, "_Lloyd!_"

Floating above overlooking the city, in the gray colored sky, was a figure glowing an intense black color.  The three Divine Moon Objects floated before him and were glowing the same exact color.

It was in fact Lloyd.

"Objects of power, objects of death, objects of destruction!!" he began to recite, "The time has arrived for you to fulfill you true purpose!!  Bestow your mighty power upon the domicile of the divine _God of Destruction_!!"

The three objects shot up into the sky at the speed of light, arriving in space, and then reaching the moon, that was hiding behind the clouds.  The objects went straight into the moon.

The moon which was once a melancholy gray color, was now beginning to change to the color of crimson blood.  After a few short moments, its color was completely transformed.

"Now, become your alternate form and descend to us as…[The Moon That Never Sets]!!" he shouted.

Inside the convention center, the entire ground began to shake like the strongest of earthquakes.  Debris began to fall from the roof as the customers and visitors panicked and ran in all directions.  

Anthony held onto Julie.

"An earthquake?!" she gasped.

Anthony looked up towards the ceiling and thought, "_It's begun._"  He looked around him to see the wide panic.  He could hear and even feel the fear inside the hearts of all of these innocent people.  He had to make sure that they would feel safe.  "Come on Julie!" he shouted, "Let's get outside!"

"O-Okay!" she nodded.

The two of them ran off along with the rest of the people

They arrived outside, where a crowd gathered to look at the sky.  They pushed through to get to the front of the mass.  Julie gasped when she looked to sky, "Oh my god!!"

Anthony looked up as well, only to see [The Moon That Never Sets] descending to the earth.

"Is that the moon?!" a man shouted.

"I can't believe this is happening!" a woman cried.

"What is going on?!" another yelled.

Anthony kept watching the moon slowly reach the city, but then saw the dark figure floating above them all.  He knew who that was.  "Lloyd…" he said softly.  He knew that this was it.  This was what the legends that Rose had told him stated.  Now he was about to see it become a reality.  He was about to witness what the Dragoons had witnessed in their world.  

He was upset about having been lied to and sad that his fate was to be the [Moon Child].  But, after looking back at all of the innocent people that surrounded him, he knew what the right thing to do was.  His fate may have been decided, but he would not let others suffer the same.  He wanted to make sure that others would be able to live their lives and make a destiny of their own.

Anthony turned around to Julie, and smiled, "Julie…thank you so much for everything you've done for me."

"W-What?!" she gasped, "What are you saying?"

"You've been such a great friend to me.  You are one of my important friends.  I'll do whatever I can to make sure you and the rest of the world can live peacefully…and happily." he said, "I have to go…"

"But…!" she began.

"Wish me luck," he smiled.  He turned away and walked forward.  He stared up towards the sky.

[The Moon That Never Sets] had finally arrived to the earth.  It floated above two large office buildings.  It glowed an eerie light.

"_My story ends here…_" Anthony thought to himself, ready to face his fate.

"And now the earth has become the new residence of the _God of Destruction_!!!  You humans are finished!!!" Lloyd yelled, "Ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!!!!!"


	7. The End

*This is a long chapter.  So bear with it.  But, I think you'll enjoy it. =0)

Anthony stood in front of the Orange County Convention Center, staring out into the dark and eerie sky.

The moon now glimmered the most blood-red color one could ever imagine.  It descended from space, returning itself to what its alternate form was called: [The Moon That Never Sets].  It is the place where the _God of Destruction_ would be born.  The Virage Embryo.

Hundreds of people, all from the convention or just around the area, stood behind him.  They watched in awe and bewilderment at the event taking place around them.  

One of those people was his good friend Julie Rhoden.  She watched him, worried of what was to happen next.  

It was an event that they knew nothing about; one they couldn't comprehend.  There was so much at stake that none of them could even realize.

Anthony reached into his right pocket, pulling out the holy and omnipotent stone.  It glowed a gentle, warm radiance.  "It's time," he told himself.  The _White Silver Dragoon Spirit_ levitated from the palms of his hands and stopped right in front of the center of his chest.  Rays of brilliant luminescence began to radiate.  Slowly, they shined brighter.  

The crowd behind him awed and gasped at the magical phenomenon.  

Julie couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Anthony turned his head back to glance at the poor, innocent bystanders; including his dear friend.  "It's all right," he told them in a soft tone, "It'll be all right…"

Anthony spread out his arms, his _White Silver Dragoon Spirit_ radiating on the center of his chest.  A beam of white light shined down from the skies above him.  The clothes he wore upon his body vanished and dematerialized, revealing a white colored silhouette of his naked body.  He floated within the beam of light as white angel feathers swirled around him.  They all came together as one on his body, transforming him.  He was now the mighty White Silver Dragoon, wings spread and determined.

The light from the transformation ceased, as now the rest of the crowd could see the mighty [Dragon Warrior].

            "_There's no more time left…_" he thought to himself, "_No more waiting…This ends here._"

            He spread out his Dragoon wings even further outward and soared straight across the air into battle.

            Anthony stopped when he was high enough in the air, above the city.  He pulled out his potent silver bow and aimed an arrow made of white magic.  "Lloyd!!!" he shouted with the utmost intensity, "Show yourself to me!!"

            "Enough already," his voice spoke.  He appeared a few feet away from the _White Silver Dragoon_.  He still bore his immense dark-colored armor; the [Dragon Buster] in hand as well.  "Dear boy…you are the [Moon Child].  Give yourself in.  Your place is not among these humans.  It is conjoined with the embryo," Lloyd explained as he pulled back a lock of his platinum hair.

            "No!" Anthony replied, "My place is here on Earth!  With everyone I care about!"

            "And you think you can stop it alone?" Lloyd asked him with a smirk firmly planted upon his face.

            "I will, if I must…" Anthony replied determinedly.  

            "You won't have to!" a male voice shouted from afar.

            In the distance, six colored lights, representing fire, earth, water, wind, thunder, and darkness, approached the two feuding enemies.

            Anthony's face lit up with joy.  "Everyone!" he cried.

            "It seems the cavalry has arrived," Lloyd stated in a disappointed and annoyed tone.

            The _Red-Eye, Jade, Sea Wave, Violet Thunder, Golden, and Darkness Dragoons_ surrounded the evil Wingly, along with their companion.

            "Sorry, we're late," Dart apologized in a joking manner.

            "Are you all right Anthony?" Meru asked worriedly as she flew over to him.

            Anthony nodded with a smile, "I am now."

            "Lloyd, what you are trying to do is unforgivable!" Albert yelled loudly.

            "We won't let you convert this world into a world of death!" Haschel added.

"WE CREATE WORLD WHERE EVERYONE LIVE IN PEACE," Kongol told him.

"A world where hopes, dreams, and…" Rose began to say.  She turned and gave a warm smile to Anthony.  "…Light can shine through," she finished.

Anthony smiled back, "Yes, you're right."  

The seven Dragoons faced their opponent.  Each of them revealed their powerful weapons.

The Giganto, Kongol, with his potent axe.

The Martial Artist, Haschel, with his lightning quick fists.

The Royal King of Serdio, Albert, with his graceful staff.

The Lively Dancer, Meru, with her forceful hammer.

The Wisest Dragoon, Rose, with her unique rapier blade.

The Noble Hero, Dart, with his slashing sword.

And the Young Boy, brought into this adventure through a hand of fate, Anthony held his accurate and precise bow.

_They had arrived to the very same part of which this story began.  And soon, their stories would conclude._

Anthony looked around him, seeing all of his wonderful friends come to his aide once more.  It meant so much to him that they were there beside him, despite of the hostility they had earlier that day.  Even though he had been upset with them before, it all seemed to vanish just having them by his side.

"You Dragoons still attempt to prevent what has already begun?!" Lloyd asked them all in disbelief.

"We will stop you," Rose said to him sternly.

"Just as we did in our world," Haschel added, in the same tone.

"Ha ha ha!" Lloyd laughed at them smugly, "You forget.  In your world, the [Moon Child] was already dead!"

Dart took those condescending words to heart and rushed towards Lloyd with his blade, "You bastard!!!" 

"DART!" Kongol called to him.

"Haagghh!!!!" Dart yelled at the top of his lungs; filled with so much passion and fury.  He slashed down with his sword. 

Lloyd quickly teleported away, as he then reappeared soon there after.  "Ha ha ha!" Lloyd still laughed, "You toy with me?"

"Dart, wait!" Meru cried.

"You all stay out of this!!" he snapped back at her.

"Eh?" she gasped.

"You…You killed the one thing that meant the most to me…" Dart stated, clenching his sword so tightly.

"You want to seek revenge?" Lloyd asked him, with his usual cocky grin plastered across his face.

"Dart!!" Anthony called out to him.

Dart turned his head, only slightly, to see Anthony in the corner of his eyes.

"You cannot defeat him this way!  Not with vengeance!" Anthony explained to him, "I know your heart is filled with so much warmth and love, Dart!  Not with vengeance and hatred!  Didn't Shana fall in love with you because she felt your warmth and your love?!"

"Uh?!" Dart gasped under his breath.

"Do you think Shana would want to see you like this?!" Anthony asked.

Dart closed his eyes, thinking about that beautiful girl that he cared about so much.  And with that thought, he smiled, knowing Anthony was right.  He turned around to face him, "You're right."

Anthony smiled back.

Albert's eyes widened when he saw Lloyd approaching Dart from behind, "Dart, look out!!!"

Dart turned around to see Lloyd's [Dragon Buster] slashing down towards him.  He was able to move out of the way, without getting seriously hurt.  But he did not escape unharmed.  Lloyd managed to cut his right arm, causing it to bleed.

His friends rushed to assist him, "Dart!"

Dart held his gashed arm as the blood seamed through his fingers.  He grimaced and gritted his teeth in pain.

"I do not have time to play games with you!" Lloyd told them, "The moon awaits its new master to prepare for the big show…However!  I will return for the key to my success!"

Anthony looked at him, knowing who he was speaking about.

"This time…my mission will be completed!  The _God of Destruction_ will rise!" he yelled, "Ha ha ha!!!"  As his sinister laugh echoed throughout the gloomy, sky he teleported away.

"Ugh…crazy bastard," Haschel mumbled.

"Dart!  Are you all right?!" Albert asked worriedly.

"Y-Yeah…urgh…" he replied, still in much pain.

"Luckily, he only managed to slash your arm…" Rose examined his wound, "Though, it could've been much worse."

"DART CANNOT GO ALONE," Kongol scolded him.

Dart looked down, ashamedly.

"But…I understand," Meru spoke up.

Dart lifted his head to see her, "Meru…?"

"I understand why you did it…" she told him, reminiscing about something important to her, "When you lose someone…someone you loved…you want to release all of your anger, your frustration…your loneliness upon the one who caused it…I know how that feels…"  She spoke about her family and her lover whom she had lost.

Dart smiled, "I'm sure…they're with Shana now."

Anthony looked at Dart, smiling to himself.  He knew those were the right words to say to her.

"Yes…" Meru nodded, "You're probably right."

"Now, what are we going to do about this wound?" Haschel asked, trying to change the subject.

"We could do a little first aid," Albert suggested.

"This wound is too deep, and we don't have much time…" Rose explained to him, "We need a quicker method."

"M-May I try?" Anthony spoke up nervously.

Everyone looked to him.

"ANTHONY?" Kongol asked.

"I…might be able to help," he said.  He floated over to Dart and put one the palm of one hand above the Dart's wound.

"What are you…?" Haschel began.

Anthony closed his eyes, as his entire body began to glow, along with his Dragoon Spirit.  Sparkles of white light began to release from his fingers and merged inside Dart's wound, healing it slowly.

In that instant, Dart began to get a flash.  It only lasted a quick second, but he saw Shana.  Not only did he see her, he felt her.  When the incident ended, he shook his head to snap out of it.  He looked to his arm to see it completely healed.  "Wha…?" he gasped.

"You used your Dragoon Magic!" Meru leaped up excitedly.

"Excellent job Anthony," Rose complimented him.

"I'm glad I could help," he smiled.

"Thank you…Anthony," Dart said to him.  He looked at him.  It wasn't in the same way he looked at him before.  For now, even though he didn't know why, he could see Shana in him.  He just didn't know why that was.

"A-Anthony…" Meru said, "About earlier…when we all talked…I just wanted to say that I'm so…!"

"It's okay Meru," he smiled, saying it in a gentle tone, "It's okay now.  It really…doesn't matter to me anymore.  And I do understand now.  I forgive you…all of you."

Everyone felt so relieved that he felt that way.

"Because now…I've learned to accept my fate.  But, not just that one.  I now fully understand my destiny as a Dragoon.  That's why…I'm going to do whatever it takes to protect the people of this world.  Just as you all protected the people of your world…That's what matters to me now," Anthony explained, "And…being with all of you…My dear friends."

Meru smiled and leaped into his arms, hugging him, "Friends…always!"

"Right," he nodded.

"Now…" Dart said, turning to look at the large scarlet colored sphere known as [The Moon That Never Sets], "…Let's do what we came here to do."

Rose flew next to him, "Yes."

Kongol put his oversized hang upon Anthony's shoulder, "STAY CLOSE TO KONGOL."

Anthony looked up to him and smiled.  He appreciated Kongol's sentiments and his wanting to protect him.  "Okay," he agreed.

"Dragoons…!" Dart shouted loudly.

The rest of the Dragoons flew over next to Rose and himself, in a single line.

"…Let's FLY!" he finished.

All simultaneously, the Legendary Dragoons spread out their armored wings and set off towards [The Moon That Never Sets], their final battleground.

Lloyd had already entered the vicinity of [The Moon That Never Sets].  He stood in a large, hollow chamber within spherical shape.  It looked as if he were inside of a coral reef as red as the moon itself.  There were all different shaped holes inside the walls that surrounded him.  In front of him was a massive wall that seemed to reach the sky.  There was a large round crevice that held an enormous, translucent orb.  

The entire room echoed the beating of a heart.  It was as if the moon was alive.

Lloyd stood below the structure, looking up at it with the most delightful and hopeful eyes.  "Wait just a bit longer…" he spoke, "You will be born soon enough…I will merge with you, Virage Embryo, along with that brat."

In that instant, round shaped screen appeared behind him.  It showed an image like a regular television screen would; minus the electronics.  The projecting screen displayed an image of the Dragoons heading towards the moon.

Lloyd turned around to see it.  He grew disgusted with what he saw, "Ugh…I forgot about them.  But, perhaps this isn't a bad thing after all.  If I can only distract the Dragoons, if only for a second…I can grab the [Moon Child] and hurry back here."  He thought about this plan for a moment, and then grinned evilly.  "That'll be perfect…" he laughed, "But, first…"  He turned around to face the structure with the sphere once again.  

The sound of the beating heart seemed to come from within it.

"…I'll need your help, Virage Embryo.  Lend me your minions," Lloyd said.

The Dragoons flew swiftly towards the bright, crimson moon.  They continued flying until Anthony began to get a flash.

"Ugh…!!" he cried, grabbing his head.

Everyone stopped and turned around to see what was wrong.

"Anthony!" Albert shouted.

"Are you okay?!" Meru asked him worriedly.

"Something…S-Something's coming…!" he yelled.

"Eh?" Meru wondered.

"What do you mean?" Haschel asked.

"He means that!" Rose shouted, pointing towards the moon.

"Oh god…!" Dart gasped, "I can't believe it!"

Creatures, that were all too familiar to the Dragoons, began to sprout of the craters and crevices that were scattered all across the moon.  They were enormous, gray-colored beasts of great power.  Like a horde of locusts, the beasts headed towards the Dragoons.

"What are those?!" Anthony asked.

"He was able to summon them…" Rose said in disbelief.

"What are they?!" Anthony asked again.

"VIRAGE!" Kongol answered him.

"Virage?" Anthony wondered.

"Powerful beasts from our world!" Dart told him, pulling out his sword.

Albert twirled his staff in the air and then pointed it towards the oncoming swarm, "We must break through!"

"Albert's right!" Haschel agreed.

"All right!  Everyone!" Rose shouted, "Take out as many of them as you can!  Just do your best to break through and make it inside the moon!  Got it?!"

Meru nodded in agreement, "Right.  Anthony, stay with me."

"Okay," he replied.

"DRAGOONS FIGHT!" Kongol yelled loudly.

The warriors gathered their strength and their courage and headed towards the oncoming swarm of enemies.

"Haaghh!!!" Albert yelled, pointing his fist towards the Virage, "Rose Storm!!!"  Out of his clenched fist, glistening cherry blossom petals flew around in gusts of colossal wind.  The spell managed destroy many of the Virage that were coming towards him.  

The Virage kept on coming, however.  One flew in front of him.

"Die, demon!" Albert yelled as he rushed into battle.

Rose stood upon the chest of a Virage.  She lifted up her blade as it began to glow an indigo color, "Astral Drain!!!"  She rammed the blade into the very heart of the Virage, draining away its life.  The Virage soon disintegrated into dust.  She turned around to see another pack of Virage approaching her. 

"I will send you all to where you belong!!" she shouted.  Her body began to glow the color of her armor, as something began to emerge behind her.  A massive black gate made of magic appeared.  It was surrounded by black flames.  "Demon's Gate!!!" she cried as the gate rapidly opened.

Once the gate opened up, it revealed the pits of hell within its doors.  The Virage were beginning to be sucked into the gate.  One by one they flew past Rose and were destroyed by the flames of hell.  The gate closed as soon as each of the Virage entered, the spell having done its job.

Haschel was blown back by the attack of another group of Virage.  "Blasted…" he mumbled to himself, "Crazy bastards…!"

The Virage seemed to have the upper hand in this battle and were about to gang up on the single Dragoon.

But, just then, an gargantuan axe sliced through one of the Virage, and then another, and another.  Soon enough, destroying each and everyone of them.

It was Kongol!

"Thanks lad," Haschel smirked.

Kongol smiled to him.  He looked over to the side to see more of them approaching.  "KONGOL FINISH THEM," he said.

"Not alone you won't," Haschel volunteered.

Very rapidly, another batch of Virage sped off towards their location.

Kongol lifted both of his Giganto fists into the air above him.  He began to collect as much magic as he could within them.  The magic transformed itself into a large boulder covered in golden flames.  "Meteor Strike!!!" Kongol shouted the spell, throwing the meteor over towards the enemy.

"Thunder God Attack!!!" Haschel yelled.  His body began to glow a radiant violet color.  He flipped backwards once, transforming his body into the shape of a dragon made of his magic.  The dragon shot out towards the Virage.

Both of their magic attacks hit the Virage, turning them all into dust.

In the flash of purple light, Haschel returned to Kongol's side.  They both looked at each other, proudly.

"Hahh!!!" Dart yelled as he flew straight towards a Virage.  He stabbed his sword into its chest.  His sword then combusted into flames, as Dart called out a spell, "Explosion!!!"  With that, the flames swiftly entered the Virage's body, causing it to explode.  

Dart looked around to see if anymore were coming his way.  Instead, he saw Rose in the distance surrounded by a group of Virage.  He knew he had to help her.

A Virage bashed Rose's body, pushing her back.  Another swiped her, cutting her in the cheek with its claw.

"I'm coming Rose!!!" Dart shouted from afar.

"Dart?" she wondered.

Dart's Dragoon wings transformed into multi-colored flames.  He had his red steel sword pointed towards the team of Virage as a sphere of fire blazed in front of him.  "Final Burst!!!" he cried as he soared towards them.  The minute either his sword or the flames touched one of the Virage, they were destroyed, melted away into nothingness.

"Nice timing," Rose smiled.

"I'm just glad I made it in time," he said, "Hey…where's Anthony?"

Rose looked around to see where he was.  The both of them grew worried.

Anthony and Meru were flying towards the moon.  None of the Virage had noticed them, that is until now.

A squad of Virage blocked their way.

"Anthony, stay behind me!" Meru told him, rushing into battle.  

Anthony watched one worriedly.

"Take that!  And that!  And that!" Meru yelled, bashing numerous Virage in the head with her hammer, "And THAT!!!"

The Virage were still there.

"Oh, you want more, is that it?!" Meru asked them.  She threw her mallet into the air as it returned, floating in front of her facedown.  She stood upon the very tip of the handle, her arms in the shape of an X if front of her.  Ice structures formed around her, as ice magic began to come together within her arms.  "Diamond Dust!!!" she yelled, throwing her arms forward.  She released a vast amount of ice magic towards the Virage, freezing them and the destroying them soon after.

"Ha!" she said confidently, "How do you like that?"

"Raarrghhh!!!!" a Virage roared from behind her.

She turned around to see it, screaming, "Ahh!!!!!!"

"Star Children!!!" a voice shouted from behind the Virage.

Out of the skies above them, hundreds of glistening shooting stars hurled down from space and through dark thick clouds, hitting the Virage numerous times, destroying him as well.

Meru was shocked, but happy, to see Anthony at the other end.  She smiled cheerfully, "Anthony!!"

Anthony flew over towards her, "Are you all right?"

"I am now, thanks to you." Meru replied.

"That's what friends are for, right?" he asked her.

The both of them gave each other a high-five.

"Always!" Meru nodded.

"You both sicken me!" a male voice yelled.  Soon enough, Lloyd appeared floating just above the two Dragoons.

"Lloyd!!" Anthony shouted angrily.  

"Every single time I see you, you're so…good to each other.  It's absolutely sickening," Lloyd told them in a disgusted tone, "The good thing is that I won't be having to see anymore of it.  [Moon Child], you're coming with me!!"

"I won't let you take him!!" Meru shouted back.

"This time I won't let _you_ get in the way!" Lloyd said to her, blasting a wave of dark bolts of magic.

"Agh!!" Meru cried as she was blown back further.

"Meru!!!" Anthony shouted worriedly, turning around.

Lloyd took the opportunity and teleported right behind Anthony.  He grabbed both of his arms, putting his [Dragon Buster] in front of his neck.

"Meru, help!!" Anthony cried.

Meru looked up to see Anthony in danger, "Anthony!!!"  She spread out her wings and was about to fly to his aide when a huge group of Virage surrounded her, pushing her away from Lloyd.  "No!!  Let…me go!!!" she yelled, peering through the Virage to see Anthony, "Anthony, no!!!!"

"Ha ha ha ha!!!!!!" Lloyd laughed, "Now the end has finally arrived!!"

Rose stabbed her blade through another Virage, the last of the ones that were around her.  Dart had just finished disposing of a couple of them as well, using his 'Flame Shot' spell to vanquish them.  The both of them noticed the [Moon Child] in jeopardy.

"Oh no…!" Rose gasped.

"Anthony!!!" Dart yelled.

Kongol, Haschel, and Albert heard Dart's call and noticed what was going on.  They flew over to where Rose and Dart were.

"We'll never be able to make it in time!" Albert said.

"And Meru's in trouble!" Haschel added.

"MUST TRY!" Kongol encouraged them, "MUST HELP ANTHONY!"  Kongol spread out his wings and flew towards his direction.

"Kongol's right!" Rose agreed as she then followed.

The others proceeded to follow soon thereafter.

Meru bashed another Virage with her hammer.  She thought she might be able to get through until another Virage showed up to barricade her passage.  "Anthony!!!" she cried once more.

"Say goodbye to the earth [Moon Child]!" Lloyd shouted, "For this…will be the last time you see it!"

"Anthony!!!" Dart shouted from afar.  He and the rest of the Dragoons swiftly approached.

"Say goodbye…to your dear friend as well," Lloyd whispered into Anthony's ears.

Tears were flowing down Anthony's cheek as he watched Meru struggle to break free from the Virage.  He was afraid that Lloyd might be right.  That this might be the last time he'll ever see the earth again.

"Farewell Dragoons!!!" Lloyd yelled across the sky, as he and Anthony teleported away.

"Anthony…" Meru said softly, still detained by the Virage.  The tears ran down her face as she watched her friend disappear; possibly forever.

"Atomic Mind!!!"

"Flame Shot!!!"

"Wing Blaster!!!"

The three spells echoed throughout the sky.  A large mass of violet colored lighting bolts shot across the air and over to the Virage.  An enormous sphere of blazing fire, along with a blast of green energy, also hit the Virage.  Each of the Virage that surrounded Meru were destroyed.

Rose rushed to her, "Meru!!  Meru, are you…?"  She stopped speaking when she saw the expression upon Meru's face.

Meru simply stared off into the distance.  She seemed to be in a state of bewilderment.  The tears would not stop.  The pain would not stop.  "A-Anthony…" she sobbed softly, "Anthony…Anthony's not here anymore…"

All of her friends looked away sadly. They understood how she felt; helpless to save him.

"Meru…we know," Dart said to her.

"I'm so sorry…" she cried.

"Sorry?" Haschel wondered.

"MERU DID NOTHING WRONG," Kongol told her.

"Exactly…I was just there…I watched him get taken away…" she continued, "I should've protected him."

"Meru, it's not your fault," Albert tried to comfort her, "Anthony knows that.  You want to know what he'd be really upset about?"

Meru turned around to see him.

"If we just gave up.  I know…Anthony would want us to keep fighting.  Don't you?" he asked her.

"Albert's right," Rose spoke, "We must keep fighting so that we can all be together again!"  She was trying to encourage Meru.

Meru wiped her tears, smiling very gently, "Friends…always…"

"Exactly!" Dart said to her in an optimistic tone.

"Everyone…" she began, her face changing to her usual smile, "…Let's go."

They all nodded in agreement.

Meru turned around to face the ruby colored moon.  She looked upon with a determined face, "_Wait for me Anthony…I'm coming to get you._"

Lloyd had returned to the room inside [The Moon That Never Sets] where the sound of the beating heart echoed throughout.  Once again, he stood before the large wall that held the transparent sphere in a round cavity.

However, there was something different about the sphere.  Something was now inside it.

It was Anthony.

Anthony's unconscious nude body was curled up within the vicinity of the orb.

"This is as it should've been the first time…" Lloyd said to himself, "But then that stupid girl had to sacrifice herself…But, now, I have this [Moon Child].  Nothing will stop me from merging along with you…"

Anthony slept so silently within the sphere.  He hadn't slept like this in a while.  He was in such a deep state, that he began to dream…

_Anthony was standing in the center of where the Dragoons had been staying there on earth; behind the trees and the bushes in the park near his home.  He began to hear voices of an argument they all had had there not too long ago._

_"Okay…I'm going to ask you again and I want a straight answer," Anthony said to them sternly.  He was angry, and very much hurt.  "Did you all know about me being the [Moon Child]?"_

_"Yes, we knew."_

_"So everyone did…And you weren't going to tell me…?"_

_"But, Anthony we need you…!"_

_"I don't care!!"_

_"Was that really how you felt?" a female voice asked him, "Did you really not care?"_

_Anthony shook his head, "No…I did care…"_

_"That is why you're here, isn't it?" she asked, "Because you did care after all."_

_"Yes," he replied._

_"They're your friends.  Your dear friends…You'd do anything for them.  Right?" she asked him._

_"I'd…I'd give my life for them.  It would be the least I could do…after everything they've done for me," Anthony explained to her.  He turned around to see who it was he was speaking to, "Why…are you asking me this?"_

_There was the silhouette of a young woman.  She wore a ponytail that laid on her shoulder along with a pair white angel wings that shined so brilliantly behind her back._

_"You will need that drive…that determination…that bravery in the future," she said to him, "But it seems you already possess it."_

_"Who are you?" Anthony asked her._

_"I am…" she began to speak._

"Let him go!!!" Dart yelled to Lloyd.

Lloyd was now floating in front of where Anthony slept.  The Dragoons had entered [The Moon That Never Sets] and now reached the core.  They all stood below Lloyd, weapons in hand.

"Don't you see?!" Lloyd replied, "You've lost!!!  Ha ha ha!!!"

"Anthony…" Meru said softly as she saw him curled up within the orb.

"The end of the world can begin with the snap of my fingers!  Accept that you've lost!" Lloyd yelled.

"We won't let you!" Haschel shouted back sternly.

"Release him!" Rose demanded.

"NEVER!" Lloyd responded forcefully.

Anthony's eyes squinted.  He could hear all of the commotion going on around him.  He slowly opened his eyes, blinking twice to regain his focus.  "Uh…where…?" he mumbled.  He remained curled up as he looked below him to see his friends.  "Everyone!!" he called to them.

"Anthony!" Albert shouted to him.

Everyone turned to see that he had finally awoken.

"Hang in there Anthony!" Dart told him.

"WE COME SAVE YOU!" Kongol shouted.

"Damn you…" Lloyd moaned, "Awake already?  I guess it just helps things move along much quicker…Let us begin.  Begin the merge, Virage Embryo!!!"

The orb began to glow a dark, opaque light as it slowly began to enter the crater within the wall.  Inside the hole were tentacles pulling the sphere inside.

"Huh…?" Anthony gasped.  He stood up, banging his fists upon the barrier that surrounded him.  "No!!!" he screamed, "Let me out!!!"

"Anthony!!!" Meru cried.  She spread out her wings and set forth towards him.

"Meru!!" Rose called to her.

"Come back!!" Haschel added.

The minute she touched the sphere, electrifying bolts of black lightning began to shock her entire body.  She would not give up, nonetheless.  She held on, letting herself be injured.

"Meru!!!" Anthony cried, "No, stop it!!!"

"I…won't…let you…DIE!!!" she screamed with all her might.

"MERU!" Kongol yelled from below.

"Please, don't!!" Anthony told her, "I don't want you to!  I don't want you to get hurt because of me!!"

"No!  I won't let…them take you!!!!" she screamed, "Ahhh!!!!!"  The bolts were beginning to take their toll upon her body.  

"Meru!!!" Anthony sobbed, with tears in his eyes.  He looked to her with a gentle smile as the tears ran down his face.  "Thank you…" he said to her, "I'm sorry I won't be able to keep my promise…"

"No!!!!!!!!" Meru shrieked as the bolts blasted her off of the sphere and to the ground.  Her friends ran over to her.

They all looked up as the sphere entered the core of the moon.

Anthony looked to them all, tears in his eyes as he was taken away.

"Anthony!"

"Anthony!"

"ANTHONY!"

"Anthony!"

"Anthony!"

"Anthony!"

The six Dragoons called out his name, just like in the dream Anthony had.

"No…" Meru sobbed, "NO!!!!!!!!!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!!" Lloyd laughed maliciously, "Now you see it's all over!  But at least you'll be able to witness my transformation.  See you soon, Dragoons!!!"  Lloyd flew in front of the whole where Anthony had been taken.  The tentacles wrapped around his body and took him inside.

"It's over…" Rose said to herself in disbelief.

"He's won," Albert stated, ashamed and disappointed.

Meru buried her face into Kongol's chest, sobbing away.  Her best friend was taken away from her once again.  She would never see his happy smile ever again.

"This can't be happening!" Dart banged his fist into the ground, frustrated. 

"_Ha ha ha ha ha…_" a voice echoed throughout the room, "_Ha ha ha ha ha…"_

"What's that?" Haschel gasped.

"THAT VOICE…" Kongol thought for a moment.

"It's him…" Rose stated.

Something began to emerge from the hole in the wall where Anthony and Lloyd had been taken by the Virage Embryo.  It was an enormous, vicious looking creature.  The Dragoons had never seen anything so hideous.  The beast had the chest of a man, but bottom of a serpent.  It was connected to the hole from which it emerged.  

He was the size of a two-story house.  He had a bald head and the skin as gray as the clouds outside.  His eyes were completely white all around except for the single, blood red dot in the center.  His teeth were as sharp as knives, as saliva dripped from them.  He had a muscular chest that had a scar in the shape of the symbol that had appeared on Anthony's forehead when he released his [Moon Child] power.  His nails were as long as arms.  He also had tentacles grown from his back.

"Hello Dragoons…recognize me?" the beast spoke.  His voice seemed to echo the voice of a thousand tortured souls.

"I can't believe it…" Haschel looked onward at him.

"Lloyd…?" Albert asked himself.

"That's right!" he replied, "This is my form now!  I am now the glorious, _God of Destruction_!!!!"  One of Lloyd's immense fists were clenched.  He seemed to holding something.  

Meru was looking at him with pure horror across her face, until she saw a human arm hanging out of his fists.  Her emotion changed to complete fear of what that might be.  "That isn't…" she said.

"Oh, I almost forgot.  I have a gift for you," Lloyd said with his usual smug.  He put his fist near the floor and opened it. 

Anthony's nude, lifeless body fell out, face down.

"No!!!!!!!" Meru screamed at the top of her lungs, "ANTHONY!!!!"  She rushed over to him screaming out his name several times, "Anthony!!!!  Anthony!!!!"  She knelt down next to him, holding him in her arms.

Anthony…was dead.

"Anthony…no…no…!!" Meru sobbed, the tears flowing non-stop.

There were tears in all of the Dragoon's eyes as they watched.  They couldn't believe that the sweet, energetic, and kind young boy would never smile for them again.  There was a piece of him in each of their hearts.  For he had given all he had to give to them.  And now, he was gone.

"Anthony…!" Rose wept, looking downward.

Even the tough Giganto cried for him, "WHY THIS…HAVE TO HAPPEN?"

"As you can see, the boy is dead," Lloyd told them nonchalantly, "The embryo took away his life and now lives inside of me now."

"Oh, Anthony…" Albert shed his tears.

"You bastard…" Meru said softly.

"What was that?" Lloyd asked her.

"YOU BASTARD!!!" she yelled, "What did he do to you?!!  He didn't deserve this!!!  He didn't deserve to die!!!"

"He was the [Moon Child]!!  Even he knew to accept his fate!" Lloyd snapped back at her.

"But still…But still!!!" Meru cried, "Don't you understand?!!  Now…now…now we'll never see him smile again!!!  Never hear him laugh!!  No one will ever get to see any of that!!!"

"Meru…" Dart whispered sadly.

"It is of no importance to me." Lloyd brushed it off.

"Oh, Anthony…!!!" Meru embraced his body.

"_Don't cry…_" a female voice said from within Anthony's body.

"Eh?" Meru gasped.

Anthony's body moved from her and lied face down upon the ground.  He began to glow a white, holy light.

"What's going on?" Haschel asked.

"This light…" Dart said to himself.  He remembered when Anthony had healed him, and he saw Shana in him.  "It can't be…!" he said.

Angel wings burst from Anthony's back as someone began to emerge.  She was a young woman with chocolate colored hair.  She had it in a ponytail that lied upon her shoulders.  She was dressed in a white dress, that had slits upon the sides.  She floated above Anthony's body.

"_W-Who's this?!_" Lloyd thought to himself.

The Dragoons knew exactly who she was.  It was someone they had not seen in a very long time.

"I can't believe this…" Albert said, stunned.

"Can it really be…?" Rose began.

Dart knew exactly who this young woman was, "…Shana."

It was Shana.  The deceased, first White Silver Dragoon.

"Shana?!" Meru gasped.

"It cannot be!!!" Lloyd yelled angrily.

Shana smiled to them all, "It is so good to see you all again."

"BUT HOW?" Kongol wondered.

"I'll explain it all to you," she replied, "When I arrived in heaven, Soa gave me a mission for he foresaw danger for Earth, the alternate reality of _Endiness_."

All of her friends listened carefully.  Dart was the happiest of them all.

"I then found this young boy, Anthony," she continued, looking down to his body, "I knew…he was the [Moon Child].  I knew I had to protect him.  So, I decided to live within his heart for the time being."

"That is how the White Silver Dragoon Spirit chose him!" Albert realized.

She nodded, "Yes.  Soa had warned me that Lloyd was on his way to Earth.  So, using my power, I created a gateway for you all to come here.  To prevent disaster from occurring once more.  That's when…"

"We met Anthony," Meru finished for her.

"Yes," Shana smiled.

"So it really was fate…" Haschel stated.

"So then that is how we arrived here," Rose said.

"But, Shana!" Meru cried, "Anthony…Anthony is…!"

"Do not worry." she reassured her.

"What do you mean?" Dart asked her.

"I can revive him," Shana told them.

All of their faces lit up like Christmas trees, especially Meru's.

"Really?!!" she asked ecstatically.

"Yes," Shana answered, "But…there are repercussions…"

"Repercussions?" Dart wondered, "What kind?"

"In order to revive him, I'd have to give him my shining life.  In turn, you would never be able to see me ever again, for I'd live inside him forever," Shana explained.

The Dragoons looked to Dart.  They knew that would affect him the most.

"There is more.  Once I revive him, my hold upon you existing in this reality…cease," she told them sadly.

"What does that mean?" Haschel asked her.

"You mean we'd…!" Albert began.

"GO BACK?" Kongol said.

Shana nodded, "Yes.  I could only hold you here until my mission is complete, but once it is…you will all disappear and return to _Endiness_."  She turned to Meru who held Anthony's body.  "It also means…you won't have much time to say goodbye," she said.

Meru looked at Shana in disbelief, "Not much time…?"  She then looked to Anthony's face.  She caressed his cheek, knowing what she wanted to happen.  "Do it," she said, "Please Shana!  I beg you!  Revive him!"

"Meru…" Rose said.

"He's going to be really sad, I know!  But…if there's a chance…even the slightest for him to live…then it's worth it!" Meru pleaded, "Please Shana!"

"Does everyone agree?" Shana turned to the rest of the group.

The Dragoons all nodded, except for Dart.

"Dart?" Haschel asked.

"DART NOT WANT TO?" Kongol asked him.

"If we do this…I'd never get to see you again…Shana," he said.

"Dart…" Shana sighed, looking to him the way she always did, "You must move on.  I…I am already gone.  But Anthony…Anthony has a chance.  He is your friend, isn't he?"

Dart looked to Anthony's body.  He nodded, "Yes…All right.  Do it."

"Forget all of this!!  I'll dispose of all you!!!" Lloyd yelled from behind Shana.  The tentacles from his back lunged across to Shana.  The second they touched the light shining from her, they disintegrated.  "What?!" he gasped.

"This is goodbye then…" Shana told her friends.  She looked to them all one last time.  "You are in my heart always…" she said and then looked to Dart, "And…I love you Dart…I always have."

"I…I love you too…Shana," Dart said, tears in his eyes.

Shana floated down towards Anthony.  Anthony's body lifted up from Meru's arms and towards Shana.  She slowly began to reenter Anthony's body.

Within Anthony's mind, his nude body floated around in the void of darkness.  He was curled up into a ball as he swerved around.  Soon enough, a light broke through the darkness, awaking him.

"Uh…?" he mumbled as he slowly awoke.  He uncurled himself looking around to then see the shining light.  

The angel, Shana, appeared before him.  

"You're…" Anthony began.

"I am Shana," she told him, "I've come to bring you back.  I ask you…please.  Use my shining life and save your world."

"I will…I promise." Anthony smiled.

Shana spread out her wings and approached Anthony.  The both of them embraced one another as a flash of light occurred.

Anthony's body began to glow as angel feathers swirled up from around him.  When they ceased, he was dressed in white, shimmering clothing.  It was almost like a Greek toga that shined.  Angel wings then burst forth from his back.  He opened his eyes and stared over to Lloyd.

"Anthony!!!" Meru shouted happily.

"He's okay!" Rose cried.

"So, you're still alive…" Lloyd groaned.

"You'll never know…" Anthony began.

"What?" Lloyd asked.

"You'll never know what it feels like to have friends who support you, and care about you," Anthony told him, "Those are my friends.  And for them, I live.  I will defeat you now…in the name of friendship!!!"

His friends watched him from below, feeling the warmth of his life.

"Shut up!!!!" Lloyd screamed as he blasted enormous bolts of black lightning.

The bolts hit Anthony chest, but he would not give in.  He stood there, facing the attack.

"Anthony!!" his friends cried worriedly.

Anthony slowly, but surely, lifted both of his hands in front of the bolts, pushing them back.  Light began to emit from his fingers.

"What?!" Lloyd gasped.

The light flashed once, overcoming the evil spell.

"_Show him the light…_" Shana spoke from inside of him.

Anthony spread out his wings even further as, in that instant, sparkling lights and angel feathers floated around the entire room.  He pointed the palms of both of his hands towards Lloyd.  

Meru was smiling until she felt something weird within her body.  She looked to her hands as they began to fade in and out.  She looked over to her friends, who were experiencing they same thing.  

They all knew they were disappearing.

"Haahhh!!!!!" Anthony shouted at the top of his lungs. The sparkling lights that surrounded him gathered together in the palms of his hands, creating a sphere of holy light.  He fired the sphere at Lloyd.

"Aggghhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Lloyd shrieked in excruciating pain as the sphere of light engulfed his entire body and turned him into dust.

Outside of the moon, the skies began to clear up, revealing the night lit sky.  [The Moon That Never Sets] simply faded away, and then reappeared up in the sky.  It had returned to its previous form, shining brilliantly in the heavens. 

Everyone down below smiled and cheered.  They had a feeling it was all over.

At the convention center, Julie was still in the crowd.  She looked up at the moon, smiling.  "He did it…" she said to herself.  She had a feeling that Anthony had something to do with it.  

The world was saved.

The Dragoons had already flown out of the moon and stood upon a building rooftop.  They all looked proudly, now out of their armor, at what they had accomplished.  

"We did it!!" Anthony jumped up happily, "We really did it!!!"

Meru rushed over to him.  The both of them hugged one another.

The rest of the group looked on, smiling.  However, they knew this happy moment was not to last.

"I'm so happy you're okay." Meru said to him.

"I'm glad I'll be able to keep my promise to you," he replied.

The both of them broke their hug and smiled.

Anthony looked to Meru's hands to see them beginning to fade away.  "Meru!" he gasped, pointing to it.

"Oh no!" she cried, "Not yet!"

"What's going on?" he asked.

Meru turned around to look to the rest of the group.  All of them walked over and created a circle around Anthony.

"It's time…for us to go," Haschel answered him.

"What?!" Anthony cried, "Why?!"

"Shana was what was keeping us in this world," Albert explained, "Now, her power is gone and we cannot stay in this reality any longer."

"So then…you really are leaving?" Anthony asked them.  His eyes began to fill with tears.

"ANTHONY MEAN SO MUCH TO KONGOL," Kongol smiled to him.

Anthony turned around to see him.  

Kongol was glowing a golden light as he began to disappear in the form of small, sparkling lights.

"Kongol!!" Anthony cried as he ran over to him.  By the time he reached him, Kongol had completely faded away.

"Don't forget us, Anthony." Haschel smiled.  He too was disappearing in the form of purple lights.

Anthony ran towards him as well, only to see him vanish, "Haschel, no!"  The tears were streaming down his cheeks.

"You taught me so much Anthony.  I'll never forget that," Albert said to him gently.

"Please, Albert, don't go!" Anthony sobbed.

Albert too vanished as green lights floated into the sky.

"I have lived over ten thousand years…and never have I met someone as strong as you Anthony," Rose smiled, tears in her eyes, "Thank you…for showing me how to have fun."

"Rose!!" Anthony cried.  Once he turned around to see her, she had also faded away.  The indigo colored energy ascended into the sky.

"Because of you…I was able to see Shana again.  I'll never be able to repay you Anthony," Dart said to him.

Anthony turned around to see him, "Dart, please…Don't go…!"

"Now I can live my life…knowing…that Shana lives in you now," Dart smiled ever so gently, "She picked the perfect person."  His body dematerialized into red energy lights that joined his friends in flying to the sky.

Now, Meru was the only one left.

"Anthony…" she cried.

"Not you too…" Anthony wept.

"Anthony!!" Meru shouted as she ran towards him.

"Meru!!" he also shouted.

They leaped into each other's arms, embracing each other tightly.  

"I'll never forget you Meru!!" Anthony told her.

"You'll always be with me Anthony!!" she bawled.  She looked down to her feet, seeing them beginning to transform into blue lights.  "There's not much time left Anthony!  But, listen to me!" she said, "Remember our promise!  Do what makes you happy!  Don't let anything get in your way!"

Anthony nodded, "I will!  I will Meru!"

Little by little, her entire body began to fade away.  Before Anthony knew it, he was hugging nothing but air.  The sparkling blue lights of energy flew through his fingers and headed towards the sky.

Anthony dropped to his feet, burying his face into his hands.  He had lost people that were important to him.  He treasured everything about them.  Nothing could take away the pain he felt.  Not ever.


	8. The Epilogue

_(The song "Final Distance" by Utada Hikaru begins to play)_

Anthony had returned home.  The house was completely empty.  Probably because his family out looking for him in the city after having seen the commotion on the news.

He opened the door to his room and walked over to his bed.  He sat down next to nightstand.  He had such a somber look upon his face.  He was tired.  Not just physically, mentally, and emotionally as well.  He looked over to his nightstand to see the stuffed animal that Rose had won at the mall.  He took it and looked at it very closely.  He began to remember all of the wonderful memories he had of all of his friends…

_Anthony played a fighting game, while everyone but Haschel watched.  They all turned around suddenly when a yell was heard from behind them_

_Haschel was behind them playing another fighting game.  It read "Game Over" on the screen, indicating he lost.  He had a huge fit about losing in front of everyone._

_The people inside the arcade stared, while sweat drops fell on Haschel's friend's heads in embarrassment._

_Albert came out of the men's dressing room in a tuxedo.  He looked very handsome._

_Anthony and Haschel applauded for him as well._

_Dart was the last to come out dressed up.  He was also dressed in a tuxedo with a red sash wrapped around his waist and stomach.  _

_Everyone else was already outside and clapped for him.  He did look very handsome._

_He didn't seem to happy though.  He gazed off into the distance and saw a beautiful white gown.  He could see his true love, Shana, dressed in it with a smile._

_Anthony saw his pain and walked over to him.  He put his hand on Dart's shoulder in comfort, with a gentle smile._

_Dart smiled back in thanks._

_Kongol stepped out of the dressing room, surprisingly enough.  He made loud thumping noises that made the whole store tremble.  When he came out, he was also dressed in a tuxedo.  However, it was a few sizes too small for his gigantic Giganto size.  His arms and legs ripped straight through the sleeves and his chest broke straight through the shirt._

_His friends could only stare at him in disbelief._

_Kongol shrugged in embarrassment._

_Rose coughed, trying to regain her composure, "Ahem…We all have our moments."  She reached into the hole where the teddy bear was and handed it to Anthony._

_"For me?" he asked._

_"So you don't forget us," she told him with a shy smile._

The one he thought about the most was his best friend Meru and all the moments they shared together:

_"Enough about that," Meru said as she put out her hand, "My name's Meru!"_

_Anthony looked at her and saw her vibrant and cheerful smile.  "She doesn't seem so bad," he thought to himself.  He put out his hand as they greeted one another.  "I'm Anthony," he said._

_"Oh, Anthony…" Meru sighed as she embraced him._

_Anthony wiped his tears as they broke their hug._

_"I guess…this is really why we're so close…" Meru said to herself._

_"W-What do you mean?" Anthony asked, sniffling a bit._

_"You and I relate to each other on so many different levels," Meru smiled, "We're so similar."_

_"…Because it makes them happy.  And if I hadn't continued with dancing, I would've never met Dart and Shana and everyone.  Dancing changed my life…maybe writing will change yours…" Meru finished._

Anthony couldn't hold back his emotions any longer.  He held the teddy bear close to his heart and began to sob profusely once again.  He couldn't help but cry.  It was the only thing his heart felt like doing.  

_(Song ends)_

Three Months Later…

_"It's been three months since the incident with [The Moon That Never Sets]," Anthony said, narrating the story once more, "A lot has happened since then.  The first thing is my new 'fame'.  Because of what the people at the convention saw, the entire state found about me.  Then the entire nation, and then…the entire world.  Pretty cool, huh?  I was able to tell everyone about my adventures…and about the friends who faded away…"_

The scene was now a large auditorium.  There were many spectators, mostly parents and family.  Anthony's family was also there.  

In the center, were the students of Anthony's high school dressed in burgundy colored caps and gowns.

It was Graduation Day.

Julie was one of the students sitting down.  There was an empty seat next to her.  She looked at it and then up at the stage.  "_I know you can do it Anthony,_" she thought to herself.

Around the stage were camera crews and photographers from all around the world.  There were dozens of microphones upon the podium.  It seemed someone was going to be giving a speech.

_"It's now Graduation Day," Anthony spoke, "I was asked by my principal to give a speech to all of my fellow students.  Once the news reporters heard, it got around fast.  Now, the speech is going to be broadcast around the world for everyone to see.  No pressure, huh?"_

Anthony, also dressed in his cap and gown, stood behind the stage.  He held onto his gown nervously.  He looked across the stage to see all of the people; most of them were there to see him.  He was in fact the young boy who saved the world; according to the reporters.

A middle-aged, bald man dressed in a suit walked up to the podium.  He looked upon the crowd and began to speak, "And now, that we have reached the end of our ceremony…there is someone from this very class here to speak to all of you.  Not just to this class, and not just to the audience here today…but to all of our viewers around the world.  Graduating students, ladies and gentlemen…I give you, our hero…Anthony Reyes!"

Everyone in the auditorium lifted from their seats, cheering and applauding.

Anthony steadily walked out onto the stage.  He shook the principal's hand and stood in front of the podium.  He had no paper in front of him, nor did he rehearse what he was going to say.  He was going to tell them all what he really, truly felt.

"You all…call me a hero…" he began, "But, the truth is, everyone here today has been through struggles.  All of us here…have overcome them.  That makes us all heroes.  It takes a real hero to overcome the obstacles placed before them."

Julie watched on, smiling proudly, as did Anthony's family.

"I might have been put into a supernatural situation, one beyond belief.  It may seem so much bigger a struggle than all of yours…The truth is, that at the time, the struggle seems so much bigger than we ever thought possible." he continued, "And now, we're all about to set out to face a new struggle.  Adulthood.  It may seem impossible to overcome.  But, from all of what I have been through…I've learned…that if you have your friends with you…it is possible.  Look around you.  Look next to you.  Look to your important friends who have been with you through everything.  They will help you, and you will help them.  That's what friendship is all about…isn't it?  That's why…it's important to never forget them…for they will always be with you."  Anthony looked on to everyone.  He had such a warm and gentle expression upon his face.  "So, now I say…let's face this struggle head on," he said, "For the path to overcoming it is ahead of us.  Let's set out for it today!"

The entire crowd jumped up from their seats and cheered even more loudly than before.

Anthony looked down, remembering the smiling faces of the friends he had lost.  He looked back up towards the audience and spoke, "I just…want to ask you one favor!!"

The crowd quieted down to hear him speak.

"Never…let anyone decide your fate…You must find your own destiny…" he said to them all, "…I ask you…Please…sever the chains of fate that bind you…Pursue what makes you happy…"

Anthony walked into his room as his mother followed.  He took off his tie and sat down upon his computer seat.

"Let me make something special today!" his mother said excitedly.

Anthony giggled and smiled.

She walked towards the door and began to close it, until she stopped to say, "You know, I'm really proud of you."

Anthony smiled to her, as she closed the door.

For whatever reason, Anthony got this jolt of inspiration.  He turned to his computer and opened up his word processor.  He thought to himself for a moment and started to type something upon the screen:

Anthony stood in front of the Orange County Convention Center, staring out into the dark and eerie sky.  It was a large complex where international meetings and conventions were held.

The moon, that only shined at night, now glimmered the most blood-red color one could ever imagine.  It descended from space, returning itself to what its alternate form was called: [The Moon That Never Sets].  It is the place where the _God of Destruction_ would be born.  The Virage Embryo.

Hundreds of people, all from the convention………….

He sat there, typing away for a while.  He was starting to write again.  After many minutes passed by, he reached a certain point:

"…there is more to this tale than meets the eye.  Why these people are where they are, why they're doing what they're doing, and why they're there with me…  This is my story."

He stopped typing and then thought about adding one more thing to it.  He typed the last few words.

"No, this is our story."

_(The song "Ordinary Day" by Vanessa Carlton begins to play)_

He smiled at the screen, proud of what he had written.

"Anthony, dinner!" his mother called from afar.

He stood up from his seat and hurried out of his room.

Upon his dresser was the White Silver Dragoon Spirit that had changed his entire life.  It began to shine as an angel feather descended out of thin air, landing right next to it.

It was the end to his story.

_Anthony completed the story that he had started that day.  He called it, "Two Worlds".  And, because of his newly found connections due to his fame, many publishing companies read what he had written and enjoyed it very much.  It was then published months later and released to the public.  It became a New York Bestseller, was translated in every single language possible, and sold billions of copies worldwide.  _

_Anthony lived happily from there on.  He kept his promise to his dear friend and continued writing.  It was just like Meru had told him:_

_"Dancing changed my life…maybe writing will change yours…"_

            There it is everyone!!  (sigh)  It's finished!!  It took me a while but I did it!  I just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed!  Your words were so encouraging to me, you all have no idea.  I appreciate it so much!  I hope you all enjoyed the story as much as I did.  And, yes, the story is based upon me.  (Well, except for the whole Dragoon thing of course.)  I guess that's why this story is so close to my heart.  That's why it makes me so much more happy to know you all enjoyed it, just for that fact.  I have more stories in the works and some that are already posted.  I'll be working on my original anime series Summoner, that's already been posted.  Hope you'll check it out!  Bye!

Anthony Reyes


End file.
